What is there to say about Lewes except that it really is very lovely. Located in East Sussex, England, and not far from the coast, it’s a pretty market town with a quaint high street that runs down a hillside to the River Ouse. I first visited as a stepping stone to Charleston house – the curious, modernist home of the Bloomsbury Group of artists and writers, which lies 15 minutes drive away in the Sussex countryside. I’ve since returned to Lewes on mini day trips out of London, to mooch around the antique shops, and stop for coffee and cake.
Now there’s even more reason to visit Lewes since the opening of the new Charleston cultural centre in the heart of the town. Housed in an old council building, the new space has two galleries, a cafe, shop and a rich arts programme that combines community projects, artist-led workshops and a learning programme for local state schools. The opening exhibition is on until January 2024, but there’s hopes and grander dreams to bring 100 of the most important Bloomsbury works back to Sussex, with the help of the National Portrait Gallery, Tate and the V&A. So watch this space!
In this Lewes travel guide, I’ve shared the best places to eat, shop and get your culture fix. And if you missed my travel guide to Rye, you can find it here.
Lewes travel guide
WHERE TO EAT AND DRINK
– Caccia & Tails – cacciaandtails.com – an Italian street food restaurant a stone’s throw from the station, offering traditional Focaccia Genovese, fresh pasta and cakes. Go for the 2 for 1 cocktails between 5-6pm! They also have an outpost at Charleston house as well as Furci’s pop-up in Charleston Lewes in the centre of town (see below).
– Furci’s – cacciaandtails.com – a cafe run by the Caccia & Tails team, housed in the ground floor of the new cultural institution Charleston Lewes – ‘where bagels, shakes, and apple pie take center stage’.
– Squisito – squisito.co.uk – there’s a serious Italian vibe in Lewes! This ‘unauthentically’ Italian restaurant, inside The Old Needlemakers independent shopping centre, offers a pared-back menu of fresh pasta.
– Flint Owl Bakery – flintowlbakery.com – a cosy cafe with a selection of handmade breads, pastries and cakes. Sit outside in the pretty courtyard garden in the summer.
WHERE TO SHOP
– Freight HHG – freightstore.co.uk – a beautiful shop founded in 2014 by design lovers Helene and Adele. Helene brings her experience as a shop owner for over 12 years, while Adele has a background in architectural design from Central St Martins. Expect timeless lambswool jumpers, simple household goods and their own range of candles and hand and body creams.
– Lewes Antiques Centre – facebook.com – a long-established institution with five floors of antiques and homeware
– Lewes Flea Market – @thefamouslewesfleamarket – an eclectic antiques centre housed in an old Methodist chapel on Market Street
– belle & co – belleandcompany.co.uk – founded by Yad Luthra, with a focus on vintage furniture, retro and mid-century design
– No. 1 Lewes – @no1lewes_antiques – decorative antiques for the home and garden, here you’ll find vintage French textiles and fabrics, handwoven baskets and unusual antiques
– nørd – nordhomestore.com – a sweet little shop focused on the simple things, with a mix of charming kids toys, cosy knitwear and Scandi style homeware
– Inglis Hall – inglishall.com – you’ll spot Inglis Hall from the red chair hanging up outside the Georgian shopfront. They create high-end, bespoke kitchens from their workshop in Lewes and this is their more public facing side
THINGS TO DO
– Charleston Lewes – charleston.org.uk/charleston-lewes – A new cultural institution that opened in September 2023 in the heart of Lewes. The space combines a ground floor shop and cafe with two floors of gallery spaces. Curated by writer Charlie Porter, the opening exhibition Bring No Clothes: Bloomsbury and Fashion explores the connection between the Bloomsbury Group and the world of fashion, with never-before-seen portraits by artists Duncan Grant and Vanessa Bell, as well as historic objects from the Bloomsbury archive (eg. Virginia Woolf’s glasses) and catwalk fashion by Dior, Fendi, and Comme des Garçons.
– Charleston farmhouse, Firle – charleston.org.uk – step inside this historic farmhouse, left just as it was in the early 20th century when the Bloomsbury Group of artists, writers and thinkers would gather to discuss their radical social and artistic ideas. The painter Vanessa Bell and her friend and lover Duncan Grant used the house as a canvas to express their ideas, painting every conceivable surface with marks and murals. It’s an absolute gem of a place and somewhere you really need to see to believe!
– Monk’s House – nationaltrust.org.uk – Visit the tranquil 16th-century weatherboarded cottage that was home to the novelist Virginia Woolf and her husband Leonard. Like Charleston, the house appears as if they just stepped out for walk. Currently closed and due to open in March 2024.
The Sussex Art Shuttle offers a bus service connecting Towner Eastbourne, Charleston in Firle, Charleston in Lewes and Seven Sisters Country Park. It runs from Friday–Sunday during the Turner Prize 2023 in Eastbourne. View the full timetable here.
I hope you enjoyed my Lewes travel guide. It really is the loveliest little town – if I wasn’t living in London, I think I would move here in a flash. It’s got everything you need – it’s well-connected to London with a railway station, it’s rich in culture with plenty going on, including a three day jazz festival, and it has a charming mix of independent shops, excellent eateries and cosy cafes. I hope you fall in love with it as much as me.
