Lewes Castle: Standing Guard Over the Hill Since 1069

1 November 2025

One of the oldest castles in England 🇬🇧 🏰 Nearly a thousand years on, its flint walls still look down on the River Ouse — and on me, huffing and puffing my way up the hill.

The castle was built shortly after the Norman Conquest by William de Warenne, one of the closest allies of William the Conqueror from the Battle of Hastings.👊 Construction began around 1069, making Lewes the second Norman castle in Sussex after Hastings Castle. The site wasn't chosen by chance — an imposing ridge above the River Ouse and right along the road to London.🙆‍♂️

Its twin mounds and flint walls still dominate the landscape almost a thousand years later. Standing there, looking down, you can't help but sense just how quickly England changed after 1066.🤷

And I'll admit it: every time I visit a castle, I find it absolutely fascinating.🤌