Out & About Guide

Food & Drink

Walks & Nature

Pashley Manor Gardens, Ticehurst

Romantic English landscaping and planting framed by lovely old trees, fountains and ponds, with the unusual Grade I-Listed, timber-framed Tudor/Georgian manor house as a backdrop. Super cafe with terrace and garden views.

Take me there

Bateman's, Burwash

Built of sandstone in 1634, Bateman’s was where the writer Rudyard Kipling found real peace and contentment. A tour of the house reveals the book-lined study where the author wrote on a French walnut draw-leaf table. Kipling’s beloved garden is well worth a stroll and allow time to explore the footpaths across the estate.

Take me there

Great Dixter House & Gardens, Northiam

For many years the much-loved home of the renowned gardener and writer Christopher Lloyd who spent many years helping to establish one of the most exciting, colourful and constantly changing gardens of modern times. One of Great Dixter’s most striking features is the magnificent Great Hall, the largest surviving timber-framed hall in the country

Take me there

Charleston Farmhouse, Firle

Virginia Woolf spotted this remote settlement on the South Downs while out walking one day in 1916 and Charleston became the home and country meeting place for the writers and artists of the Bloomsbury group. The Bloomsbury artists painted furniture, ceramics, and murals, which can be seen with a collection of paintings by Picasso, Derain, Sickert and Delacroix.

Take me there

Battle Abbey

William the Conqueror vowed that if God gave him victory, he would build an abbey on the site of the battle at Senlac Field. This he did, with the high altar set up on the spot where Harold died. Today Battle Abbey is in the care of English Heritage and is a hugely popular visitor attraction.

Take me there

Clergy House, Alfriston

Near the church in pretty Alfriston is the charming oak-framed Clergy House, built around 1350 to provide shelter for parish priests following the Black Death. It was the first property to be acquired by the National Trust.

Take me there

King John's Nursery & Garden, Etchingham

Set amid the oaks of the High Weald, King John’s Nursery and Gardens is one of the region’s more unusual attractions. Created out of two derelict chicken sheds, the site has been described as ‘unique, quirky and a hidden secret.’ Find it down a secluded lane and expect a stunning garden, a shop offering an eclectic range of stock and a rustic-style café

Take me there

Monk's House, Rodmell

This charming, modest cottage was the country home of Virginia Woolf. Deep within her beloved South Downs, this is where she wrote and found inspiration. The writing room in the garden contains various fascinating photographs of the novelist at home with family and friends.

Take me there

Firle Place

Surrounded by parkland below the South Downs, this 500-year-old house includes a significant collection of Old Masters, with works by Reynolds, Van Dyck, Gainsborough and Rubens. Items of English and French furniture are also on display.

Take me there

Sheffield Park Garden, Fletching

Just about everywhere you look there are breathtaking views. Four large lakes lie at the heart of the garden, laid out by Capability Brown in the 18th century, and a walk here in each season reveals something unexpected and magical. However, best visited in autumn for the magnificent colours.

Take me there

Anne of Cleves House, Lewes

Explore the world of the Tudors and discover the role played by this 15th-century, timber-framed Wealden hall house in the story of Henry VIII, who gave the house to his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves (divorced). On display is a wide range of furniture and artefacts.

Take me there

Michelham Priory, Upper Dicker

Explore the Tudor mansion that evolved from the former Augustinian Priory and discover its glorious gardens on an absorbing tour packed with facts and fine detail. Surrounding the priory is England’s longest water-filled medieval moat and in the grounds are physic, cloister and kitchen gardens, an orchard, a nature and sculpture trail, a moat walk and a rope museum. A working watermill and forge complete the picture.

Take me there

Royal Pavilion, Brighton

Don’t miss this former seaside residence of King George IV, ‘the most extraordinary palace in Europe’, with its myriad domes and minarets and opulent interiors. View the music room, the banqueting room and royal bedrooms, then stroll through the restored Regency gardens.

Take me there

Lewes Castle & Museum

Climb to the top of this historic 1000-year-old castle for a breathtaking view of Sussex and the South Downs. The adjacent Barbican House is home to the Museum of Sussex Archaeology, which explains the story of Lewes from the prehistoric era to the medieval period.

Take me there

Nutley Windmill

Set in the beautiful landscape of the Ashdown Forest, 300-year-old Nutley Windmill is the oldest working windmill in Sussex, restored by local enthusiasts after 65 years of disuse.

Take me there

De la Warr Pavilion, Bexhill

A pioneering centre for the arts on Bexhill's seafront, a place where everyone can experience contemporary art exhibitions, events and entertainment in an iconic Modernist building from 1935.

Take me there

Lamb House, Rye

At the top of cobbled Mermaid Street and close to the church, this fine 18th-century house was the home of novelist Henry James from 1898 until his death in 1916. It was later occupied by E F Benson writer of the Lucia books, who was at one time Mayor of Rye.

Take me there

Pevensey Castle

Witness to seventeen centuries of conflict, from its time as a Roman fortress to its use as a coastal base during the Second World War, this powerful castle has never been taken by force.

Take me there

Long Man of Wilmington

No one knows the identity of the 240ft Long Man of Wilmington, a striking figure cuts into the Downs near Alfriston. Possibly the work of Iron Age man.

Take me there

Hastings Contemporary

Set among the famous net huts and fishings boats beside the beach in Old Hastings, Hastings Contemporary champions modern and contemporary art. An ambitious programme of temporary exhibitions includes work by important Modern British artists, internationally celebrated artists, and emerging practitioners.

Take me there

Opera at Glyndebourne

Opera at Glyndebourne remains one of the great cultural traditions of the English social calendar. Situated in magnificent Sussex countryside below the South Downs, it is a sublime setting in which to enjoy the music.

Take me there

Brighton

Originally a small fishing village, Brighton has become one of the south’s premier resorts over the years, renowned as much for its history and culture as its sea air. The exotic 18th-century Royal Pavilion is one of the city’s best-known landmarks.

Take me there

Wakehurst Place, Ardingly

Explore this wild botanic garden in the heart of Sussex, home to the Millennium Seed Bank, over 500 acres of diverse landscapes (wetland and woodland) and plants from across the globe.

Take me there

Alfriston

Picture-book village located at the base of the Downs beside the Cuckmere River. Delightful main street and tiny square lined by a jumble of timber-framed and tile-hung 18th-century buildings. St Andrew's Church overlooks the river and village green (The Tye).

Take me there

Towner Art Gallery, Eastbourne

The award-winning gallery designed by Rick Mather Architects sits in the Eastbourne’s cultural centre, the Devonshire Quarter, and is home to a splendid collection of 19th-and 20th-century British art, including a gallery devoted to Eric Ravilious, Eastbourne's most acclaimed 20th-century artist. Also, a Sensory Room, a Collection Library and a cinema screening a regular programme of films.

Take me there

Winchelsea

The story of this ancient little town is fascinating. One of the seven Cinque Ports and characterised by elegant houses and quiet, grid pattern streets, Winchelsea became stranded when the sea receded. Now it lies more than a mile inland. Drop into the Winchelsea Museum, which highlights 700 years of the town’s history, and Spike Milligan is buried in the churchyard.

Take me there

Mad Jack Fuller's Follies & Mausoleum, Brightling

Explore the follies Mad Jack Fuller built and take in the rolling hills of Brightling Park. It is said Fuller was interred sitting at an iron table, a full meal before him and a bottle of claret, dressed for dinner and wearing a top hat.

Take me there

Berwick Church - Bloomsbury Set

Use the time switch to light up the interior of the church to appreciate the magnificent wall paintings in all their glory. These brilliant murals were commissioned by Bishop Bell of Chichester in 1943 and are the work of Duncan Grant and Vanessa Bell, members of the renowned Bloomsbury Group who lived at nearby Charleston Farmhouse.

Take me there

Bodiam Castle

One of the most famous and evocative castles in Britain, moated Bodiam was built in 1385, as both a defence and comfortable home. The exterior is virtually complete and the ramparts rise dramatically out of the moat.

Take me there

Top of page

Back to East Sussex Out & About Guide

From 2023 the Epicurean Club becomes Loupe

Pashley Manor Gardens, Ticehurst

Bateman's, Burwash

Great Dixter House & Gardens, Northiam

Charleston Farmhouse, Firle

Battle Abbey

Clergy House, Alfriston

King John's Nursery & Garden, Etchingham

Monk's House, Rodmell

Firle Place

Sheffield Park Garden, Fletching

Anne of Cleves House, Lewes

Michelham Priory, Upper Dicker

Royal Pavilion, Brighton

Lewes Castle & Museum

Nutley Windmill

De la Warr Pavilion, Bexhill

Lamb House, Rye

Pevensey Castle

Long Man of Wilmington

Hastings Contemporary

Opera at Glyndebourne

Brighton

Wakehurst Place, Ardingly

Alfriston

Towner Art Gallery, Eastbourne

Winchelsea

Mad Jack Fuller's Follies & Mausoleum, Brightling

Berwick Church - Bloomsbury Set

Bodiam Castle