Barbican House

Barbican House is a sixteenth century house next to Lewes Castle. It is now used as a museum, and is the headquarters of the Sussex Archaeological Society. The house is a Grade II* listed building.

Barbican House (on the right) in 2018.

History

The Barbican House was constructed in the 16th century out of timber, with a stone fireplace dated 1579.[1] During the 18th century the house was enlarged and refronted.[1][2] The house now consists of three floors plus a basement, and is now mainly constructed from red brick.[2] The left front of the house faces the gate of Lewes Castle.[2] A 1907 fire in Lewes High Street which spread for an hour and a half was contained before damaging Barbican House.[1] In 1952, the house became a Grade II* listed building.[2]

The building is now the headquarters of the Sussex Archaeological Society,[1] who also run the Barbican House Museum (also known as the Museum of Sussex Archaeology) in the house.[3] The museum contains pottery from an excavation of the grounds of Battle Abbey, as well as floor tiles from Wilmington Priory, and green tiles from a property in Rye.[4] It tells the history of Sussex life from the Stone Age, and contains a model village of Lewes in the 1880s.[5] In 2020, the museum was believed to be at risk of closure due to Sussex Archaeological Society's lost income during the COVID-19 pandemic.[3]

References
  1. Cairns, Bob (August 2015). Lewes: The Postcard Collection. Amberley Publishing. ISBN 9781445641409.
  2. "Barbican House". Historic England. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  3. "Historic East Sussex museums and properties at risk of closure". Sussex Express. 17 June 2020. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  4. Hare, J N (January 2013). Battle Abbey: The Eastern Range and the Excavations of 1978-80. English Heritage. ISBN 9781848021341.
  5. Cook, Samantha; Saunders, Claire (May 2013). The Rough Guide to Kent, Sussex and Surrey. Rough Guides UK. ISBN 9781409330110.

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