Saturday 18 February 2012

Lewes Castle, East Sussex


Could not be so close to Lewes Castle and not visit
1066 - 1100
After the Norman conquest King William decided to copy the way land was owned in France. The King owned all the land but leased it to his barons in  return for military service, money and an oath of loyalty.
He granted Lewes to William de Warenne, one of his closest advisers.
William de Warenne had to build a castle quickly. This was to show  his dominance over the local people. It was also to provide somewhere safe for him and his family if the castle was attacked.


We have parked the car quite a distance away, having managed to find a space, and are now walking towards the castle through the narrow winding streets of the town, uphill all the way


We pass what was obviously a poor house in times gone by but now a privately owned cottage


and make our way towards the castle entrance


I tell you it is freezing cold and taking my gloves off to use the camera is painful!


under the archway and we will be nearly there


passing a couple of houses to the right


and one to the left


before arriving at the castle entrance
with lots and lots of steps to climb


the Barbican to the right



up and up with a good view of the snow covered downs




just before we go inside and ascend the towers
we pass this old fireplace



and inside looking down on what is left of the original spiral stone staircase


Arrows fired from here


and now we are at the top looking down on the
Barbican and town


viewing the other side of the town

In the next post I will take you a walk around the town
(plenty of good exercise today)


17 comments:

Needled Mom said...

Whew, I am out of breath and freezing cold after reading of your journey up to the castle. You needed a warm fire in that fireplace.

What a wonderful view it was from the top!!!

I'm mostly known as 'MA' said...

What a brave soul you are to go adventuring out on such a cold day. Up hill like that couldn't have been easy either. I'm not very good at all on hills but love walking on flatter land. The view there seems to have been a wonderful reward there for all your efforts. Just lovely for sure!

Cheri said...

I loved, loved , loved this post. If those walls to talk! I loved where the old fireplace used to be. Thanks for sharing Barbara!

Terri said...

I learn so much reading your blog, Barb. What a view - it's good to be the king... or one of his knights. Thanks for sharing!
Hugs!!

Diane at My Cottage Garden said...

Barbara,

Thanks for sharing this. Such an interesting place. You have so many wonderful old castles in England!

Hope your winter is going well.

Diane

Elizabeth said...

Gosh, it looks cold!
I love this part of the world. I was at Sussex University many moons ago!

Jan at Love It said...

Brrrr...the photo's even look cold! Beautiful pics as always and I was also getting the feeling to stand back from the edges on some of those as I am not a heights person.

Scriptor Senex said...

I do love the way you take us on your walks with us. You have a real knack for it.

I'm a wimp - I wear quite thin leather gloves that manage to keep me warm but allow me to operate the camera without taking them off. Sneaky.

Mary Ann said...

Loved these pictures and felt like I was there!

Anonymous said...

Thank you for the views. The castle reminds me of the Disney movie Bedknobs and Broomsticks(recently on You Tube).

Gwendolyn said...

Thank you for braving the weather to give us such an insightful tour! Incredible stonework. It makes me shiver as I think of how cold it would have been to live there, inside the castle these months of the year. The town below looks lovely, so I'll be back to tag along on your walk through the streets.

Lorrie said...

Thanks for taking us along on this walk. I had to stop for breath a couple of times on all those steps. But the view was worth it!

Bishop Stone said...

I always love going on your journey with you. That is a stunning castle, I love the fireplace and the views from the top. I hope it warms up a bit for you all soon.

CherryPie said...

This is a place I have never been, thank you for taking me on a virtual visit :-)

Willow said...

Wow, Barbara--what a fascinating place with rich history. I can see that the lord built his castle primarily for protection...I'm sure that there are so many stories those old stones could tell.

Adrienne said...

The fantastic views from the top would be worth the climb!
~Adrienne~

Vee said...

You are doing very well to be out and about in the cold taking photos, too. Fun for me to see the snow on the surrounding hillsides, though I am sure that you are waiting for a proper spring with eagerness.