Historical Lewes: The Priory and the River Ouse

(21 reviews)

Lewes audio tour: Historical Lewes: The Priory and the River Ouse

This is a 2.3mi walking tour

It takes an average of 90 mins to complete.

Lewes

The United Kingdom

$8.99

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About the Tour

Lewes is a great town for walking, up on the Downs, along the River Ouse, and within the town too where the pubs are plentiful and good. This walking tour takes you to the medieval Cluniac priory, where monastic life after the Norman conquest started. It’s a site that’s at least as important as Lewes Castle, and you’ll hear about the priory’s destruction during Henry VIII’s and Cromwell’s dissolution of the monasteries.

We’ll journey through the old medieval town, some of Lewes’ open spaces, and along a short stretch of the Sussex Ouse which once flooded with disastrous consequences. Along the way, I’ll answer important questions like:

Where did the worst avalanche in Britain occur?
Why was Rodin’s famous sculpture, The Kiss, covered up?
How did King Henry III manage to lose the battle of Lewes despite having twice as many men as the barons led by Simon de Montfort?
What happened to the original White Lion Inn sign?

Allow 90-minutes for this walk. It ends near where my other walk exploring Lewes’ walls and architectural cover-ups begins. There are quite a few steps and some steep slopes so please wear sensible shoes. Public toilets are available in Grange Gardens.

Please note: You can find the presentation on the lavatorium here: https://www.lewespriory.org.uk/?location_id=744

Tour Producer

Ian Runcie

2 tours

I'm a retired doctor, with wide interests including history, geology and literature. Currently I live in Lewes, Sussex, which is a great place to retire to, with a massive amount of academic activity going on. I'm a volunteer ranger in the South Downs National Park, a hobby hedgelayer and I lead volunteers in looking after a local churchyard, which has been allowed to grow into a wildlife haven with a huge biodiversity. As well as my VoiceMap audio tours around the town, I've created a website where I share walks in the hills around Lewes. https://denmans3.wixsite.com/lewes-walker. A family member lives in Aberfeldy. I find it a marvellous place to visit and have enjoyed discovering the best places for a walk in and around the town. I have contributed nearly 100 walks to the ‘Walking World’ website from many parts of the uk and Europe and have led local government Health Walks.

Preview Location

Location 8

The Battle

The battle was between King Henry III and the barons led by Simon de Montfort and took place on 14 May 1264 on the hills above you. It was one of the many violent attempts to enforce the Magna Carta, which was a treaty signed in 1215, reducing the power of the monarchy.

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Major Landmarks

Lewes Priory
lewes white lion
Lewes Priory Park
Southover Grange Gardens
Pells Pool - Seasonal Outdoor Swimming Pool
Railway Land
Keere Street
Southover High Street
Lewes
The Dripping Pan
Lewes FC
Anne of Cleves House Museum

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Getting There

Route Overview

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a set starting point. It’s how we give turn-by-turn directions and tell a story greater than the sum of its parts.

Start location
Station Rd, Lewes BN7 2UP, UK
Total distance

4km
Final location
Cliffe High St, Lewes BN7, UK
Distance back to start location

591.97m

Directions to Starting Point

The tour starts at the main entrance to Lewes railway station.

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

Any of the pubs mentioned. Most do meals.
Anne of Cleves museum.
Maybe take a walk along the Ouse.
Afterwards continue on to the Railway Land nature reserve.

Best time of day

Any time. You will cross a few main roads but traffic is not too much of a problem on this walk. Grange Gardens are closed during the hours of darkness.

Precautions

Just enjoy.

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“Great app. walk around at your own pace, stop where you want, move on or speed up when you want. Read the script before you go or during the commentary, speed it up or replay it. Repeat the tour whenever you like.”