Current Plaques in Lewes: Revised January 2020
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Friends of Lewes – Keeping Our Town Special! Current Plaques in Lewes: revised January 2020 Title and address Plaque Detail of text Site of plaque 1 Lewes Borough – Borough of Lewes Museums Plaque Castle Keep and Barbican House Museum Brighton Road, near Town Museum turn-off to Houndean Priory Ruins Southover Rise Anne of Cleves’ House Town Hall Staircase Remains of Town Walls Bull House Westgate Battlefield 1264 1931 2 Meridian Line The Greenwich Meridian passes through this point Western Road Plaque placed Just after Spital by Town Mayor Clr M. S. Road joins Western Breese Road, on wall of July 1975 Goacher’s Upholsters to commemorate the Tercentenary of the Royal Observatory and European Heritage Year 3 Snellings Mill Snellings Mill Here stood Snellings Mill, in On wall of main road, which Richard, King of Romans left of railings around and brother of Henry III, water reservoir, just sought refuge during the after turn off to Battle of Lewes in 1264. County Hall “Richard, thah thou be ever trichard, trichen shalt thou nevermore” Friends of Lewes - Keeping Our Town Special! 1 4 Southdown House Southdown House 1871 44 St. Anne’s Daisy Ashford, (1881-1972), Crescent wrote “The Young Visiters” 3 houses from County here when she was nine years Hall end old. 5 County Hall County Hall Sculpture Sculpture This 1967 wall sculpture is by William Mitchell, (b. 1925), Above main entrance maker of many large, public to County Hall artworks around Britain. Reception Elements in the eleven panels of bronzed fibreglass include contours and shapes the artist found locally. 6 Nunnery Stables Nunnery Stables This was one of what were Irelands Lane, once sixty racehorse training (between Western stables in the town. Auriol Road and De Sinclair, (1918-2000), who Montfort Road) was the second woman to obtain a training licence, operated successfully from here, initially in partnership with John Barton. Friends of Lewes - Keeping Our Town Special! 2 7 Borough of Lewes Borough of Lewes Boundary Boundary Old Boundary of the Borough In wall of St. Anne’s of Lewes Churchyard, opposite Irelands Lane 8 Parish Stocks Parish Stocks Western Road, Nearby stood the Parish entrance to St. Stocks Anne’s Church 9 Miller’s Miller’s, St. Anne’s Hill, 134 High Street 134 High Street Sisters Caroline Byng Lucas, (1886-1967), and Frances Byng-Stamper, (1882-1968), converted this building from stables to an Arts Centre and founded Miller’s Press here in 1945. They began the appeal to restore the ruins of Lewes Priory. Friends of Lewes - Keeping Our Town Special! 3 10 Milestone Plaque Milestone Plaque On wall of The 50 miles from the standard Fifteenth Century in Cornhill Bookshop, top of 49 to Westminster Bridge Keere Street 8 miles to Brighthelmstone 11 White Lion Inn White Lion Inn Westgate Street This is the sign of the White Above car park, Lion Inn which stood nearby. opposite YMCA Made by Larwill of Lewes it was given by Major G. R. This is a replica of the Beard and placed here by the original White Lion, Friends of Lewes 1954. displayed 2014. The original has been refurbished, its tail restored, and it is on public display in Lewes Town Hall Corn Exchange. 12 West Gate West Gate Adjoining this spot stood the Wall of entrance to West gate of the town Westgate Chapel. Opposite Pipe Passage The stones of these walls were part of the West Gate Friends of Lewes - Keeping Our Town Special! 4 13 Pipe Passage Pipe Passage At entrance to Pipe Named after 19th Century Passage pipe kiln. Follows Saxon and Medieval access to Town Wall defences. 14 Virginia Woolf Virginia Woolf “We’ve bought a house in Lewes, Pipe Passage on the spur of the moment. It’s the butt end of an old windmill, so that all the rooms are either On Round House at completely round or semi- top of Pipe Passage circular.” Leonard and Virginia Woolf, Bloomsbury writers, purchased this house in June 1919. 15 Borough of Lewes - Borough of Lewes Various museums etc., Castle Keep and Barbican e.g., Castle Keep and House Museum Barbican Town Museum Bull House Priory Ruins Southover Anne of Cleves’ House Black plaque on the Town Hall Staircase High Street wall of Remains of Town Walls Bull House Bull House Westgate Battlefield 1264 Friends of Lewes - Keeping Our Town Special! 5 16 Borough of Lewes - Bull House Westgate Bull House – Thomas In ancient times the Bull Inn within the West Gate was held of the Paine Baronry of Lewes at the yearly rent Bull House of a race of ginger. It was sold in 92 High Street 1583 by Thomas Matthew to Sir Henry Goring who built the house which is now Westgate Chapel. His Black plaque on wall son Edward sold the Bull to Edward of Bull House on Bull Claggett in 1612. In 1715 Rev. John Lane Ollive, minister of Westgate Chapel acquired it and his son Samuel, tobacconist, lodged Thomas Paine here 1768-9. Paine married Elizabeth Ollive 1771 and carried on Ollive’s business until 1774. The house was rescued from decay and restored by Alderman Every in 1922. The main structure dates from the 15th and 16th centuries. The satyrs are of the time of Goring. 17 Dr. Richard Russell Dr. Richard Russell 77 High Street F.R.S., (1687-1759). Author of Just before St. a dissertation concerning the Martin’s Lane on wall use of sea water on diseases of Lewes Estates of the glands, (1750). Founder of Brighton as a bathing resort. Born and practised medicine in this house. Friends of Lewes - Keeping Our Town Special! 6 18 Dr. Gideon A. Dr. Gideon A. Mantell Mantell F.R.S., F.R.S., 166 High Street Surgeon and Geologist (1790- LH side just before 1852), born in Lewes and lived turn-off to castle and here. Museum Shop Discovered fossil bones of the prehistoric iguanodon in the Sussex Weald. 19 Stewards Inn Stewards Inn Stewards Inn This building opposite the RH side at top of castle gateway is probably Steward’s Inn, (on part of the “inn” of the side of what used to steward of the barony and be Hugh Rae’s manor of Lewes. clothing shop) It ceased to be used as such after 1361. 20 Knowlands, St. Knowlands St. Martin’s Lane Martin’s Lane A slaughterhouse owned by Marsh the Butcher, whose Off St. Martin’s Lane, shop was at 50, High Street, behind where Hugh was here until it closed during Rae’s shop used to be World War II. The name Knowlands comes from the farm between Barcombe and Spithurst, which is where the animals were reared. Friends of Lewes - Keeping Our Town Special! 7 21 Barbican Gate, Barbican Gate Castle Gate Early 14th Century. Free Through first arch, standing outer defence gate on LH side of wall protecting the main (Norman) gateway beyond. Two guard chambers above and roof fighting platform. 22 Castle Bowling Green Castle Bowling Green Castle Gate Former castle tilting ground. Top of Castle Gate, Site of Bowling Green since other side of 1640. Home of Lewes Bowling Barbican from the Green Society founded May High Street 1753. 23 Castle Bowling Green Castle Bowling Green Wall Wall Built by public subscription to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II Friends of Lewes 1977 Friends of Lewes - Keeping Our Town Special! 8 24 Battle of Lewes, Battle of Lewes 1264 (viewing platform). On 14th May 1264 Simon de Castle Gate Montfort’s army of 5000 Barons and Londoners Top of hill, between defeated Royalist forces of Castle Gate and twice that size, under Henry Castle Banks III, on the downs Northwest of Lewes. The Mise of Lewes, signed the next day, led to the first Parliament meeting at Westminster on 20th January 1266. 25 Thomas Paine, (1737- Tom Paine 1737-1809 1809) Castle Gate Resident of Lewes Citizen of the World In ground, between Castle Gate and Castle Banks 26 The Maltings The Maltings The long building behind this wall was built in the 1850s with twin oasts, serving first Castle then Beards Brewery. It was later used as a store for educational furniture, then from 1974 to 2013 housed the County Record Office for East Sussex. Friends of Lewes - Keeping Our Town Special! 9 27 Castle Ditch Castle Ditch Castle Ditch Lane Site of 11th Century Ditch Behind “Rights of fronting William de Man”, along Pope’s Warrenne’s Norman Castle Passage from High defences. Street On wall of The Old Coach House 28 The County Theatre The County Theatre An Amateur Dramatic Society Watergate Lane called The Lewes Players performed in St. Michael’s Church Hall, (formerly known as the County Theatre), in Watergate Lane from 1929 until its compulsory purchase by East Sussex County Council in 1936 for an extension to Pelham House. 29 White Hart Inn: Thomas Paine (1737-1809) Thomas Paine here expounded his revolutionary politics. This inn To right of main is regarded as the cradle of entrance American independence which he helped to found with pen and sword. Friends of Lewes - Keeping Our Town Special! 10 30 Lewes House Lewes House School Hill, High An early 17th Century house, Street the front of which was remodelled in 1812. Edward Perry Warren, an American art buyer, lived here from 1890 to 1928 and brought Rodin’s sculpture The Kiss to Lewes, causing a scandal. 31 County Hall 1812. County Hall 1812. Crown Court Built to replace the old Town Just before turn-off Hall and Sessions House which to Fisher Street on stood in the middle of the left High Street.