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People |  Enjoying the Lewes Downs |
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People have always had a big impact of The Lewes Downs since Neolithic times when hunter / gatherers first began to fell the woodland that covered the Downs. Today, the area is still a living landscape valued by those who live and work in its shadow. This is a brief history of the impact people have had oupon the Lewes Downs. |
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Iron Age 400BC The landscape is becoming settled and cleared areas are managed
as cultivated fields. The Caburn is an Iron Age hillfort, with ramparts
and a v-shaped ditch that was 8m and 2.7m deep. It is thought its
importance was as a sacred site rather than defensive settlement. |
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| Late 1700s Sheep pasture dominates the hills and arable fills the valleys. This was the time of prosperity for sheep and corn farmers on the Downs. Southdown sheep were developed as a breed in this area. By the mid 1780s it was estimated that over 200,000 Southdown ewes grazed between Eastbourne and Steyning. Today they are registered as a rare breed. |
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World War II During this time Britain had to produce its own food. Old sheep pastures were ploughed in the 'Dig for Victory'. Farming had to intensify and expand. More trenches were dug as well as Bren-gun positions to meet any invasion threat. After the war, a decline in sheep grazing allowed scrub to take over parts of the Lewes Downs. This lead to a reduction in downland wildlife. |
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Present Day The Lewes Downs is still a farmed landscape, but is also valued as a recreation and conservation site. It is protected as a Site of Special Scienctic Interest (SSSI) and the hill fort is also a Scheduled Ancient Monumnet (SAM). It is also part of the Sussex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. |
 Southdown sheep. David Plummer |
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