Lewes Castle & Barbican House Museum


Now little more than a set of ruins, this castle was built shortly after the 1066 Norman invasion. It never saw warfare, but there were riotous celebrations following the navy’s victory over the Spanish Armada in 1588, when happy citizens blew great chunks out of the castle’s walls. They left enough standing for it to remain an impressive sight though, and its windy keep, visible for miles around, affords panoramic views across the town and beyond.

The attached Barbican House Museum has a good collection of Lewesiana, but the star attraction is the incredibly accurate town model, glued together by an army of volunteers in the mid-1980s and showing how the town looked a century earlier. Viewing is accompanied by a 12-minute film relating the homo-Sussexicus’ historical advancement from cavemen to Victorians.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Anne of Cleves House Museum

0.31 MILES

When Henry VIII divorced Anne of Cleves in 1541, he gave her this timber-framed house as part of her divorce settlement, although she never moved in. The…

2. Brighton Marina

6.37 MILES

Europe' biggest, Brighton’s wave-shaped marina washes ashore 1.5 miles east of the pier. In addition to brand-name shopping, numerous chain eateries and…

3. Brighton Museum & Art Gallery

7.22 MILES

Set in the Royal Pavilion’s renovated stable block, this museum and art gallery has a glittering collection of 20th-century art and design, including a…

4. Royal Pavilion

7.26 MILES

The Royal Pavilion is the city’s must-see attraction. The glittering party pad and palace of Prince George, later Prince Regent and then King George IV,…

5. SEA LIFE Brighton

7.28 MILES

Not just for children, this aquarium is an underground exhibition of nature's fascinating water creatures. Walking around the church-like interior,…

6. Brighton Pier

7.31 MILES

This grand old Edwardian pier is the place to experience Brighton’s tackier side. There are plenty of stomach-churning fairground rides and noisy…

7. i360 Tower

7.79 MILES

Brighton’s newest attraction opened in 2016, at the point the now defunct West Pier used to make landfall. The world’s most slender tower is a brutal,…

8. West Pier

7.9 MILES

The historic West Pier, which closed in 1975, began to collapse into the sea in December 2002 and, having since caught fire twice, is just a dark shadow…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "england/lewes/attractions/lewes-castle-barbican-house-museum/a/poi-sig/1213449/1341235",
      "position": "superzone"
    }