Lewes Castle and Museum

Twin Motte Design

Lewes Castle is one of only two castles in England with a twin motte design - a remarkable architectural feature that has fascinated historians for centuries. The main castle mound supports the shell keep and towers, while the secondary mound known as Brack Mount stands to the north-east. The reason for this unusual configuration remains debated: theories include the need for additional defensive strength, the involvement of two different lords in the castle's construction, or adaptation to the natural topography of the hilltop site.

The twin mottes make Lewes Castle architecturally unique and provide an excellent case study in Norman military engineering. Visitors can explore both mounds and appreciate how the two defensive positions commanded views in different directions, providing comprehensive surveillance of the surrounding landscape and the crucial River Ouse crossing below.

The Barbican Gateway

The impressive 14th-century Barbican is one of the finest surviving medieval gatehouses in Sussex. This substantial defensive structure, built of local flint with stone dressings, was constructed to strengthen the castle's entrance during a period of heightened military concern. The Barbican features a vaulted passage, gun ports, and architectural details that demonstrate the evolution of medieval military architecture from the original Norman construction to later medieval improvements.

The gateway provides a dramatic introduction to the castle precincts, framing views of the castle mound and keep beyond. The quality of the Barbican's construction reflects the wealth and status of the de Warenne earls who held Lewes as one of their principal English seats. Its survival in relatively good condition makes it an important monument for understanding medieval defensive architecture.

Panoramic Views from the Keep

The climb to the top of the castle keep rewards visitors with some of the finest panoramic views in Sussex. On a clear day, the vista extends across the rooftops of medieval Lewes to the chalk escarpment of the South Downs stretching east and west, the River Ouse winding south toward Newhaven and the English Channel, and the flat expanse of the Levels to the south.

The views explain why the Normans chose this precise hilltop for their castle - it commands the gap through the Downs where the river cuts through the chalk, controlling movement along this vital north-south corridor.

The panorama encompasses the site of the Battle of Lewes (1264), the ruins of the great Cluniac Priory, Harvey's Brewery, and the patchwork of downland, farmland, and settlement that characterises the Sussex landscape.

Barbican House Museum - Prehistoric Sussex

The museum's prehistoric collections trace human activity in Sussex from the earliest evidence of hominid presence through the Mesolithic, Neolithic, and Bronze Ages.

Displays include important flint tools from the South Downs - one of the richest areas in Britain for prehistoric flint working - alongside Bronze Age metalwork, pottery, and burial goods. The collections place Sussex within broader patterns of prehistoric settlement, trade, and cultural development in southern Britain.

Particular highlights include material from the remarkable Neolithic flint mines at Cissbury and Harrow Hill, evidence of early farming communities, and Bronze Age hoards that demonstrate long-distance trade connections. The displays use the archaeological evidence to reconstruct prehistoric lifeways, explaining how the Sussex landscape was gradually transformed from wildwood to the managed agricultural landscape visible from the castle walls today.