10-16 Castles and Revolutions

The weather forecast for the next week calls for lots of rain starting on Wednesday, so we decided to do as much as possible during the nice weather. Today we ventured out to Lewes Castle (pronounced “Lewis”.) Though I didn’t know it before we went there, the town of Lewes has a strong connection to the Revolutionary War in the US. One of its most famous citizens was Thomas Paine. Yes, that Thomas Paine. I’m tempted to quote it at length, but if you’re interested in reading about him and his Lewes/US connection, I encourage you to read this article from British Life.

We missed our correct bus stop in Lewes and had to walk up a very steep hill to get to the entrance of Lewes Castle, ordinarily not a big deal, but since my bronchitis has taken up residence and refuses to leave, a bit of a challenge when one can’t get a full breath. Anyway, we made it to the top of the hill, bought our tickets and started our tour of the castle. Dating back to the 11th century, it was built by supporters of William the Conqueror in a “motte and bailey” design which essentially means that it was built on a hill, in this case a man-made hill. It’s constructed of local limestone and flint blocks. Like many, if not most, castles it has been remodeled, rebuilt, destroyed, rebuilt, etc. ad infinitum.

It is now operated, along with an archaeological museum, by Sussex Past Trading, Ltd. It is full of tiny spiral staircases leading to different parts of the castle with wonderful overlooks.

Across the street from the castle is the Museum of Sussex Archaeology where you can view artifacts from prehistoric to medieval Sussex.

After visiting the museum and watching an interesting, if very dark, film, we wandered into town to find a café recommended by one of the locals we had met. Along the way we stopped at a great cheese store called Cheese Please to pick up some local cheeses and chutney and passed by the parish church of Sir Thomas a Becket.

We crossed over the River Ouse and at the end of the high street found the sign pointing to the café which is, of course, closed on Mondays. Back down the high street we passed a couple of very crowded restaurants with uninspiring menus. As we were walking, I looked down a small side street and found the John Harvey Tavern.

Harvey’s is a famous brewery based in Lewes, so Bruce was thrilled to find it. We had very generous sandwiches and chips (French fries) and Bruce got to try two different Harvey beers.

Bruce headed up the hill again to go to the Rights of Man Tavern, named after one of Thomas Paine’s pamphlets. I stayed at the bottom of the hill and visited a couple of antique stores. There were lots of lovely things, but nothing I liked was remotely practical to pack and bring home, though that little Royal Aynsley coffee pot kept imploring me to take it home.

We caught the bus back to Brighton, then transferred to another one to Patcham. That night, still stuffed from our pub lunch, we opted for a taste of the cheeses we bought at Cheese Please instead of dinner. Our assortment included Chabis, made from unpasteurized goats milk, Seven Sisters, made from Pasteurized ewe’s milk, Pevensey Blue made from pasteurized cow’s milk, and Alsop & Walker Cheesemaker’s Special, a hard, nutty local cheese made from pasteurized cow’s milk. They were heavenly. During a visit to York in 2018, we met Harry, the proprietor of Love Cheese. He taught us a lot about British cheese and inspired our love for it. Now, whenever we travel we seek out the local cheeses, chutneys and wines. And yes, the British do make wonderful wine.