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Why Lewes

Lewes District has a thriving economy with a rich heritage, strong community spirit, natural beauty and outstanding opportunities.

People love Lewes District for its rich and varied heritage, natural beauty, diverse arts, cultural scene and thriving towns. With over half of Lewes District lying in the South Downs National Park, chalk cliffs, unspoilt beaches, tranquil open spaces and beautiful countryside are plentiful. 

Most of the District’s 93,900 population live in the four main urban areas Seaford, Newhaven, Peacehaven and Lewes. The District is home to iconic buildings such as Lewes Castle, Newhaven Fort (a scheduled ancient monument), and Glyndebourne opera house, as well as brands including Harveys Brewery. A haven for entrepreneurs and large as well as small-scale enterprises.

The District includes varied economies - rural, coastal and urban. Lewes District extends inland from the coast over the South Downs and into the Sussex Weald covering 292 square kilometres.

The town of Lewes is known for its radicalism and creativity, evident in its infamous bonfire night festivities - the biggest celebrated event of its kind in the world, which transforms the usually peaceful town into a carnival of energy, colour and celebration. Lewes launched its own currency to support its independent retailers and preserve the distinctive 'feel' of this unique town.

Lewes is home to an international community of artists, designers and makers passionate about sustainable design and architecture, and has the highest number of registered creative businesses in East Sussex. Artwave is the annual festival of artists and makers from Lewes, Seaford, Newhaven and surrounding villages. Open to all, it makes an inclusive, accessible and diverse experience for those taking part and visiting.

www.lewes.gov.uk

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Lewes District

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In this section

GMC Publications

Lewes

Publisher and distributor of thousands of books and magazines including Breathe sold in the UK in WHSmith, Marks & Spencer, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose.

AYM

Lewes

Alie Mackintosh's Womenswear label. All garments are designed and made in Lewes. Double-layered body-con garments are worn by Kim Kardashian, Hailey Baldwin among others.

Ridgeview Wine Estate

Ditchling

Placing English sparkling wines on the global stage, award-winning Ridgeview paved the way for global recognition of our thriving wine industry.

DOLLY

Lewes

Founded in 2012 by Diana Uprichard. Sustainability is central to everything they do at DOLLY. Each garment is individually made from a small workshop using discarded fabrics & ends-of-rolls.

Studio Hardie

Lewes

Carpenter-maker-designer William Hardie, the well-known design presenter – the one with all the hats - on Channel 4's George Clark’s Amazing Spaces.

Crafted in Lewes

Ringmer

Manufacturers & designers of bespoke residential furniture & architectural joinery, collaborating with high-end residential & corporate clients around the world.

Benyfit Natural

North Chailey

100% raw and natural dog food manufacturer, they are a long-running family business that is taking the lead in a new expanding marketplace.

Surrey Nanosystems

Newhaven

Creators of Vantablack, the blackest material known to man, supports aerospace, electronics, defence industries and even the international art world.

Quintessence

Newhaven

Perfumers and creators of fragrances for other manufacturers. R&D fragrance design with global clients, producing over 100k kilos of fragrances a month.

Flipflop Design

Firle

Multi award-winning full-service creative agency working with health and beauty, food, drink and lifestyle brands across all aspects of branding, packaging and web design.

Windmill Creative

Lewes

Brand & digital design agency whose approach combines clear thinking & intelligent design to deliver impactful & timeless solutions.

Burning Sky Brewery

Firle

Expert and experimental, voted 4th Best New Brewery in the World 2014 by Ratebeer, and ‘Brewer of the Year 2014’ by The Guild of British Beer Writers.

Harveys Brewery

Lewes

Oldest independent brewery in Sussex. Its pubs and beers can be found throughout the south-east. Voted ‘UK Brewer of the Year' 2017.

Fierce Botanics

Lewes

Apothecary tonic water brand founded by Amanda Saurin in 2018. Made with the very best quality organic ingredients and stocked in Harvey Nichols.

Psephos Biomedica

Falmer

Psephos works with clients globally to bring innovative medical technologies to market. Based at Sussex Innovation Centre.

Brighton and Sussex Medical School

Falmer

Opened in 2003, one of the most popular medical schools in the country. Ranked in the NSS as 1st in the UK for student satisfaction.

Steamer Trading

Lewes

The network of 39 Steamer Trading kitchenware stores now covers all corners of the country from Cornwall, Chester, North Yorkshire to Glasgow, in addition to its historic home in Alfriston, near Lewes.

Freight HHD

Lewes

Selling commissioned household goods produced solely in the British Isles, opening opportunities for local invention in the retail space.

AS Apothecary

Lewes

Small batch botanical distller and apothecary, using local ingredients, exclusive products and in-store treatment room.

Wild Bangarang

Seaford

Wild Bangarang is an online clothing company specialising in licensed designs for the likes of Warner Bros, WWE and The National Gallery on printed leggings/dress & skirts, all manufactured in-house.

Lewes

Lewes is the county town of East Sussex, a historic town well connected by rail, road, air and sea. It is a short journey to Gatwick, the UK’s second busiest airport and an hour into London. 

Newhaven

Newhaven, the county’s port town, sits between Brighton and Eastbourne and provides a vital trade and tourist link to mainland Europe with outstanding opportunities for economic growth.

Peacehaven

Set above the chalk cliffs of the South Downs the town of Peacehaven lies 9.7 km east of Brighton. Population 13,000 people and is located on fairly flat coastal land around 45m above sea level. 

Seaford

Seaford has a bustling town centre with a long stretch of shingle beach and home to 27,000 people. Seaford Head is the best place to enjoy spectacular views of the Seven Sisters and Cuckmere Valley. 

Lewes

Lewes is the county town of East Sussex, a historic town well connected by rail, road, air and sea. It is a short journey to Gatwick, the UK’s second busiest airport and an hour into London. 

Lewes, the centre of the craft-makers universe?

The East Sussex county town has become a hothouse of maker and crafts businesses in the last twenty years.

Read about four maker-crafts-people in Lewes, each highlighting a different craft and underlining the diverse spectrum of makers who have set down roots in the town.

Read the full article HERE

Tanya Gomez-Lewes

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