Visited August 2024

Location	Lewes, East Sussex
Entrance Fee	Yes
Railway Station Nearby	Yes-approx 0.3 mile
Parking	Town Centre Car Parks
Facilities	Gift Shop, Toilets
Map

Review

Built shortly after the Battle of Hastings. Lewes Castle was one of a number of castles built in the south of England to protect the positions of the Norman settlers. Like Chichester Castle it was originally built from wood, but unlike Chichester it was then rebuilt in stone and local flint, creating a stronghold which is still standing over 900 years later.

There are two parts to the castle site. Firstly, the ticket office is across the lane from the actual castle, and this is where the visit starts, to get a ticket and have someone let you in the gates that lead to the castle site. Alternatively you could look round the castle museum, which is situated in the same building as the ticket office, and then visit the castle site afterwards. The order is entirely up to you, although we chose castle first and museum second.

Lewes Castle is unusual as it had two mottes , both with keeps on the at one time. Today only one of the mottes has the keep remaining, however the second motte can be seen from this keep in the direction of the bowling green. 

To reach the top of the motte there are an impressive amount of steps to climb first, but it is worth it as there is a pleasant green space to sit (an maybe have a picnic?) In the middle of the motte there is a tree which is growing in the place where the castle well once was. The keep contains displays on the history of the castle with some hands on activities for children, including dressing up. The roof can also be reached for views over the town.

The second part of the castle site is the barbican, which stands in front of a single wall which is all that remains of the gatehouse. The barbican can also be visited, including the roof for more views.

There are plenty more historical items on display in the museum, although this contains artefacts from the town of Lewes as well as the castle. The town is very picturesque, and contains other attractions such as the Lewes Priory and Anne of Cleves House. We unfortunately could not visit these on the day we visited the castle as there was a difficulty with finding parking- most of the available parking was short stay only and limited to a couple of hours, which didn't give us enough time to visit multiple sites in Lewes. The castle has no dedicated car park so finding parking is an issue, especially in the summer when the town has many tourists.

More info:  Lewes Castle