Lewes Tourist Information Centre is moving from 6 High Street into Barbican House Museum, opposite the castle, in the coming weeks, with weekend opening promised.

Lewes Tourist Information Centre is moving into Barbican House Museum, opposite Lewes Castle, and will open at weekends there.

Lewes District Council and the Sussex Archaeological Society, which runs the castle and museum, are finalising the plan. The council announced the move on 5 October. It says the centre should start operating from Barbican House “in the coming weeks”. Opening days and hours have not been announced yet.

The council says the deal “secures the long-term future” of a face-to-face tourist information service in the town.

Where it is now, and where it is going

The centre is currently at 6 High Street, BN7 2AD. Visit Lewes describes that as a temporary home inside the district council’s customer services office.

Its new home is Barbican House, 169 High Street, BN7 1YE. That is the museum building beside the castle gateway, about 500 metres further up the High Street.

The council says the service will carry on as before:

  • information on attractions, accommodation, events and transport
  • maps and publications
  • tickets
  • souvenirs

Why the council is moving it

The council gives three reasons in its announcement:

  • Weekend opening. The move brings weekend opening, which the council calls an improvement to the visitor experience.
  • The upper High Street. A consultation “highlighted the need to support the high street in the upper town”, and the council expects the centre to bring more people along the full length of the High Street.
  • Cost. The service will be cheaper to run. The council says the savings will go into destination marketing, mainly digital, to attract visitors to Lewes and the wider district.

The council has not published how much it expects to save.

Councillor Johnny Denis, the cabinet member for tourism, said: “At a time when tourist information centres are closing across the UK, this partnership ensures the service can continue to support visitors, residents and the wider tourism economy.”

Natasha Williams, director of Lewes properties at the Sussex Archaeological Society, said the society wants to “better understand how people want to use the TIC” and welcomes suggestions.

What it means for you

Nothing changes yet. Until the new centre opens, the service stays at 6 High Street. Its phone number is 01273 085666 and its email is lewes.tic@lewes-eastbourne.gov.uk, both as listed by Visit Lewes.

Bonfire tickets. Fire site tickets are sold through the centre as well as by the societies. With 5 November less than four weeks away, check which address is open before you go. Our Lewes Bonfire page has the society-by-society detail.

Step-free access is worth asking about. The Sussex Archaeological Society’s own visitor information says Barbican House Museum “has stairs and no lift”. The announcement does not say which room or floor the centre will use. If steps are a problem for you, ask the centre before you make a special trip.

The castle is closed on Mondays. Lewes Castle and Barbican House currently open Tuesday to Sunday, according to Sussex Past’s opening times. Whether the information centre will follow the museum’s days is one of the details still to come.

You can say how you would use it. The society has asked for suggestions on how the centre can stay useful. The announcement gives no address for them, so the society’s general contact route on its website is the place to start.

Sources