From the Sussex Express, 25th January 2007

CASTLE'S LOTTO BOOST

Lewes Castle and its adjoining Barbican House Museum has been awarded a whopping Heritage Lottery Fund grant of £985,000 to make the historic properties fit for 21st century visitors.

Sussex Archaeological Society chief executive John Manley said: 'This represents the biggest investment in castle building in Lewes since the Norman Conquest. The Lottery money will allow us to upgrade many of our visitor facilities, and also make some of our displays more relevant to the town.”

The main elements of the plan are to replace all the steps, paths and railings in the castle, to completely re-interpret its history, and to build a shelter in the garden with information panels so that people who can't climb up the keep will gain an impression of what they would have seen and learned if they had.

There are also plans to refurbish the education centre, making it warmer and installing an accessible toilet, baby changing facilities, storage, a sink and a drop-down screen.

In Barbican House, the model of Victorian Lewes will get an overhaul with new seating, a digital projector and a new sound and light show.

The museum hallway will be improved with a glass panel, which will enable people to see into the museum from the High Street when the door is open during the day. The upstairs Medieval Sussex Gallery will be given a new Lewes focus.

The Sussex Archaeological Society will have to do some serious fund-raising for at least £85,000. The Lottery Grant awarded covers about 86 per cent of the funding.

More rebuilding work will be needed as the ancient flint wall holding up the Barbican Gate is leaning badly.

From the BBC Website, 5th February 2007

Norman castle awarded £1m grant

Visitors to an East Sussex castle and its associated museum are to benefit from improvements to the site thanks to a Heritage Lottery Fund grant. Facilities and displays at Lewes Castle and the Barbican House Museum will be modernised with the £985,000 award. Access to the castle will be improved by upgrading steps, paths and railings.

Chief executive John Manley said the amount was probably "the biggest investment in castle building in Lewes since the Norman Conquest".

Hands-on exhibits

Work on the motte and bailey castle, which was built by William de Warenne, a trusted supporter of William the Conqueror, began shortly after the Norman invasion in 1066. However, it was not completed until 300 years later.

The Barbican House Museum houses the Sussex Archaeological Society's collections, and charts the history of the county and its people from early beginnings to medieval times. Planned improvements to the museum include increasing the range of tactile and hands-on exhibits, and overhauling the model of Lewes Town.

Nice to see that the money my wife has paid on the lottery over the years is going to a good cause!

Three old postcards of Lewes Castle, recently purchased. The third one is postmarked 1914.

From The Argus, 3rd December 2007

Historic castle in fight to attract visitors

A historic castle is set to get a new centre in a bid to boost visitor numbers despite opposition from local campaigners. Sussex Archaeological Society wants to build the visitor centre at Lewes Castle in the south east corner of the Gun Garden running against its perimeter wall. But the Friends of Lewes, the charity concerned with the historical environment of the town, are unhappy.

The earliest parts of Lewes Castle date back to the Norman conquest when William de Warenne built the stronghold as his base in Sussex. But the fortress was not completed until the 14th Century with the building of the Barbican, which now houses the Sussex Archaeological Society's collections, an exhibition gallery and a bookshop.

The society hopes to attract thousands more visitors to the site by making it more accessible to people with disabilities. But Robert Cheesman, the chairman of the Friends of Lewes, said the group was opposed to the idea of a visitor centre in the castle grounds.

He said: "We feel that what is being proposed could be done in a different way. It's not a conceptual objection."
The plans, which go before Lewes District Council on Wednesday, include the recladding of the existing education centre and the creation of a path with hand rails around the Gun Garden.

Mr. Cheesman added: "Our main concern is that it would be an encroachment in the Gun Garden and spoil the effect particularly with people who are in the castle and also people in Castle Gate looking through." He added: "The path is unnecessary, certainly for it to go all around."

Council officers have recommended the plans get the go-ahead from councillors if samples of the building material are submitted to ensure they are suitable. The new visitor centre, near the castle's entrance, would be 2.2 metres high and hidden by the castle wall. But it would curve upwards to a height of 2.65 metres to the southern end of the building.

Residents have also objected to the scheme with letters fearing the centre's roof, next to the wall, might allow vandals to scale the wall and clamber into the grounds.

John Manley, the chief executive of Sussex Archaeological Society, said: "The centre is primarily for the people who are disabled or who physically cannot get to the top of the castle. Before the plans were submitted to Lewes District Council we had extensive consultation with English Heritage and the council's conservation officer. These proposals have not come out of the blue and were drawn up by a conservation architect. We regret that the Friends of Lewes have decided to object to the planning proposal but we are of the opinion that in this very sensitive site it is very difficult to get unanimity of view points. We have subsequently met with the friends and discuss our proposals with them."

Mr. Manley added the plans form only a small part of a programme of improvements to the castle after it was awarded £1 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund in February. The grant is still dependent on raising private funds but if successful and the council gives the go ahead, work could start on the centre by this time next year.

From the Bexhill-on-Sea Observer, 21st May 2008

Beer bangers to raise cash for castle

Specially created sausages are raising cash for Lewes Castle. The Lewes Castle Sausage is made by Frank Richards and Sons Butchers of Western Road. Proceeds from the sale of bangers are going to a campaign to pay for repairs and improvements at Lewes Castle and Barbican House Museum.

The sausages are also being sold in the Brewers Arms pub in the High Street. They are flavoured with Harveys Castle Ale, donated by the brewery. Peter Richards from the butchers was joined by Paul Simmonds, chef at the Brewers Arms, to present a cheque for £500 to Sally White, property manager at Lewes Castle and Barbican House Museum on Thursday last week.

Last year The Heritage Lottery Fund awarded the castle and museum a grant of £985,000 to pay for improvements. But a further £70,000 needs to be raised to carry out the rebuilding project, which also includes essential repairs to the castle. Sussex Past, the organisation which runs both the castle and the museum, is working to raise the extra funds.

From the Sussex Express, 31st July 2008

£1m makeover for castle

Lewes Castle has been given a lottery grant of almost a million pounds for a major refurbishment of the castle and Barbican House Museum. A £985,000 grant has been awarded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and work begins in October on much-needed improvements to access and information displays at both sites.

Dr Sally White, property manager of the castle, said: 'We have wonderful historic properties and now we have the chance to make them more enjoyable, entertaining and informative than they have ever been.'

All the steps, paths and railings in the castle will be replaced, and a new pavilion will be built in the Gun Garden which will tell the story of the castle's history. The Education Resource Centre will get a full make-over, including the installation of an accessible toilet, baby changing facilities and a small kitchen sponsored by Steamer Trading Cookshop. The medieval gallery in Barbican House Museum will have completely new displays.

Sussex Archaeological Society, the Lewes-based charity which owns both buildings, still has to raise a further £77,000 to pay for the work. It is appealing for support from businesses and the wider community, which have already raised more than £100,000 for the project.

Dr White said: “The archaeological society hopes that community groups and schools will think of the castle when choosing a charity project in the next year, and make a donation towards renovating this splendid Lewes icon. Smaller donations, such as £50 or £100 would assist in the furnishing of the Education Resource Centre. This room, used by groups from across Sussex, needs tables, chairs, baby changing facilities, audio-visual equipment and a drop-down projection screen.”

The castle will be closed from early October until late next spring while the major renovations are completed. Barbican House Museum will be partially open throughout the work. The gift and bookshops will be open as usual.