Turning inland, Lewes, is the county town of East Sussex. It sits on a spur beside the River Ouse as it weaves its way through the South Downs to Newhaven. The mediaeval heart of the town, with narrow streets and twisting lanes or "twittens" dominated by the ruins of a Norman castle, lies much unchanged.

The Saxons founded the town calling it "Hlaew" or hill and the steep High Street follows one of their cross country trading roots. As the town prospered, it was fortified to defend the strategic high ground between the river valley to the south and the once dense Weald forest to the north. It was also a port at this time with a busy coastal trade as the River Ouse was much deeper than it is today.