Transporting Lewes's Walks-River, Road and Railway
Lewes House, 32 High Street, Lewes, East Sussex, BN7 2LX
A 40-minute walk in which the influence of changes in transport technology on Lewes are explored. This includes the Turnpike roads and innovations on the design of coaches making them more comfortable and stable, the transformation of coaches into cars and then mass production. The improvements to the river which worked and those which did not, affecting the ability of ever larger vessels to reach Lewes and resulting in the development of Newhaven as at first, an outpost. The arrival of the railway, at first via Brighton and then the subsequent development of a direct route from London and the extension of the services to Hastings. Lewes did not expand much in terms of population in the later C19th, and the walk will ask why this was. The leader of the walk, Sue Berry, has published many historical articles in research journals of the Georgian Group and Garden History, focussed on the development of Georgian and Victorian period in Sussex. For the last decade she has set up the programmes for the popular history days run by the Sussex Archaeological Society which have helped to bring the results of current research to the county.
Lewes House, 32 High Street, Lewes, East Sussex, BN7 2LX
Most of the walk is along pavements and footways. Please wear stout footwear and be prepared for inclement weather conditions.