Tuesday, with a day off from class, my friend Karina and I decided to take a bus to Lewes, a town neighboring Brighton about twenty minutes to the northeast.
We wanted to see the Lewes Castle, and in the process we both fell in love with this charming little town and it's cobbled streets and unique shops. (The alternate title to this post is "Why Everything in England is so Adorable"!!!)
The castle was built in 1069 by William de Warenne, the first Earl of Surrey after his brother in law William the Conquerer gave him the property before returning to Normandy. It was also the cite of the Battle of Lewes won in 1264 as part of an English civil war to establish fairer government. After the win over King Henry III, Britain’s first ever representative parliament was established. Now it is a cite owned and operated by the Sussex Archaeological Society.
We didn't pay to go in and take the tour, but there was plenty to see from the property and surrounding area.
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| Alice in Wonderland door! |
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| The Secret Garden anyone?! |
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| Everything in Lewes had adorable little touches, like this floral wreath sign. |
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| The castle. |
It was a sunny day with a nice warm breeze, so it was the perfect setting for exploring the rest of the town. Did I mention that everything is just adorable in these rural English towns? The cobbled roads were so narrow that cars were driving partially on the sidewalk just to get through.
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| Flower baskets, brick and white shutters on every little building! |
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| No, I'm not above taking photos of private homes if they are as picturesque as they were in Lewes. |
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| Church of St. John sub Castro, built in 1839. |
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| Lewes War Memorial at a central street crossing. It's quoting one of Churchill's most famous speeches "This was their finest hour." |
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| We had so much fun looking through this market packed full of antiques, and we found a few things we just couldn't live without. :) |
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Another residential street.
It was nice to spend the afternoon out an about, with plenty of time for Children's Lit reading and essay writing. London is incredible of course, but I am in love with all of these rural towns that have such history and unique stories to tell. They feel so quintessentially English. Maybe I am just such a small town girl at heart because I can't help but feel at home in these places.
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Hello Young Traveler. GREAT post again. I laughed out loud with the " I'm not above taking pics of private homes" comment! :) The castle, the Secret garden enrty, the "Alice in Wonderland "door, Churchills "Finest Hour" plaque...I know you are there ...but it still looks like a dream to me. A dream full of beauty, majesty, history....places from time past...yet so sweetly enriched...and loved ...and cherished today. I know you are taking it all in...making notes in the back of your mind...or corners of napkins to help capture the essence of this incedible journey...your Summer in England. Blessins to you as you travlel on Sweet Girl...and keep us posted we are there with you in our hearts and we look forward to each and every post!!! I am surrendering my adversion to "technology" in part because THIS couldn't happen without it! :)
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