The Castle is historically important, being one of only two in the country with two mottes or mounds.
Started in the 1060s by one of William the Conqueror’s closest advisers,William de Warenne as his stronghold in Sussex, it was not completed until 300 years later.
The earliest motte was Brack Mound, which was later superseded by the mound that we call the Keep, and later replaced with rreplaced by stone walls and a Barbican Gate at the front of the Norman entrance
Lewes Castle has never been attacked, but soldiers loyal to the king stayed there the night before the Battle of Lewes in 1264.
In 1588 when the Spanish Armada was defeated, local local people celebrated by blowing large lumps off the towers and walls!
Events are held through out the year, and dduring the summer, the castle garden provides a magnificent stage for theatrical, musical and interpretation events for all the family.