Lewes England

Greetings from Lewes England,

Harry and I are here in England. Harry will be in training all week. So I am here to relax and tour around the countryside. We are located about an hour south of London in the quaint little historic region of Sussex.

Lewes alleyway called "twittens"

Our hotel is this fabulous famous historic 16th century Tudor building in the centre of town. The town is famous for the Lewes Castle, The Ann of Cleves House or cottage, Virginia Wolf, John Harvard, and Thomas Paine. Oh, also their bonfires and money!

Following the Norman Conquest of 1066, William the Conqueror’s son-in-law built The Lewes Castle and priory. Henry VIII had the priory ransacked in 1537 along with the destruction of so many beautiful monasteries spanning the entire United Kingdom.

Lewes Castle

Lewes Castle Garden

Recently, I have acquired a mild fascination bordering on obsession with the House of Tudors and the rein of Henry VIII. Or more precise his various marriages and beheadings and how these women through their influence with the temperamental king helped shape the religious affairs in England.

Anne of Cleves the 4th wife of Henry VIII was very fortunate for annulled her marriage. It allowed her to keep her head, unlike other wives of Henry VIII. Here in Lewes her cottage was acquired in 1541 as part of their “divorce” settlement.

Anne of Cleves House

One of England's most distinguished writers of the middle part of the twentieth century, Virginia Wolf has made Lewes infamous. Wolf, author of about 15 books, is familiar to the US with Nicole Kidman’s portrayal of her in the movie The Hours. Mrs. Dalloway represents one of Wolf’s major achievements. In 1941, here in Lewes Virginia Wolf died. Her suicide by drowning seems to be the symptoms of a mental breakdown, which she feared would be permanent.

Lewes is also known for John Harvard, the founder of Harvard University. Lewes is known for its free thinkers and intellectual nonconformists. It is a trademark here in Lewes. I guess that’s why I like it…. Harry calls me a “post modern… anti authority…. Nonconformist”. Whatever that means?

Also, two mints existed in Lewes from 925, mainly to provide money to pay off Danish marauders. The Normans minted coins there for some years after the Conquest, but the tradition stuck. The town had its own currency in local circulation until 1895, and in 2008 the Lewes pound has been revived. I love to collect $$ from other countries. (To date my favorite…Aruba… it has square coins… and Japan… it has holes in its coins….neat uh?)

As for the town’s infamous bonfire parties….When England beat off the Spanish Armada they celebrated with two barrels of gunpowder in the castle gun, shaking the town to its foundations. Now, they hold one of the wildest bonfire parties in Britain.

Bonfire societies from neighboring towns join the Lewes celebrations, which commemorate not only the foiling of the Gunpowder Plot, but the 17 Protestant martyrs burned at the stake in Lewes during the reign of Mary I. It was at the height of Mary Tudors militant revival of Catholicism. Today 17 flaming crosses are carried through the streets in their honor. A flaming tar barrel is thrown into the river Ouse.

And last but certainly not least….. Tom Paine, author of 'Common Sense' and 'The Rights of Man', worked in Lewes as an excise officer for six years before leaving for America in 1774. The radical humanist Tom Paine, whose works inspired and supported the revolutions in both France and America, coined many of his “traitorous” works of literature here in Lewes.

So off to another site…. I am touring alone again… Harry in class. Tomorrow I think I am renting a car (they call it hire a car here!…. took a while to translate… we both speak English… you would think it would not be so hard? … I think my “accent” throws them off!)

Blessings until next time,

Kristie