The town people never want to leave

LEWES is in the grip of a housing boom.

Property values in the market town have increased 48% in the past 10 years according to figures from the Land Registry.

The research from Lloyds Bank showed that Lewes has had one of the biggest house price rises in the country.

The town’s unique charms and shortage of houses have been credited for its property fortunes.

Property values in market towns were shown to have outstripped their county averages. Lewes is now the sixth most expensive market town in the country with the average property costing £384,545.

The average price growth since 2009 for all market towns in the survey was 13% – but in Lewes the figure was more than three times that.

The property market in Lewes is so buoyant that buyers desperate for a slice of the town will more often than not offer over the asking price.

Lewes mayor, councillor Michael Turner, said: “I think it is a good thing for Lewes that house prices are so strong, but it is hard for young people to get on the property ladder.

“Lewes deserves to be popular. It is such a beautiful town. There isn’t a great deal of employment, but it is close to Brighton and easily commutable to London and that’s what makes it so popular.

“People say their children can’t afford to come back to Lewes. It is something that people raise quite often which is why, when we look at development, we need to focus on affordable housing.

“For me perhaps the best feature of Lewes is the fact that the town is surrounded by the South Downs.

“From the top of Station Road you can see the downs in four directions.

“We have a great selection of unusual shops and the built environment is particularly beautiful.”

Jay Jayaram, negotiator at Lewes estate agents Strutt and Parker, said: “It’s not like any other town.

“This is brilliant news for Lewes.

“I hadn’t realised the figures were quite that high, but every house we have ever brought to the market has gone for the asking price or gone to best and final offers, meaning there are several interested buyers.

“What makes prices rise is supply and demand. Once people move into the town, they never move out.

“We have a shortage of supply and that inevitably makes for price rises.

“There are certain areas of town that are more popular – particularly the town centre and there are certain areas that are good for certain schools.

“Lewes is a very popular town because it is within the South Downs National Park, has an unusual selection of shops, it’s not far from the coast and Brighton and is on mainline railway line to London meaning you can commute to Victoria in an hour.

“It has a mix of quite eclectic residents and is popular with writers and artists and has a bohemian feel.

“I haven’t met one person who has come to Lewes and said ‘I don’t like it’.”

Fraser Brooks, managing director of Rowland Gorringe estate agents in the town, said he thought the most significant price rises would have happened in the 2005 to 2007 housing boom, but said the town continued to be popular.

He said: “Anyone who is entering the market in the town, as long as they have got the price right, will get the price they are asking for and probably more than one offer.

“A lot of the enquiries we get are from people wanting to move to Lewes from London and also people from Brighton.

“There is a complete cross section of properties in Lewes from period properties to some beautiful modern designs.

“I would say it’s the schools, the architecture and the trains that are the town’s greatest selling points.”

The fast moving market in the town echoes news of the aggressive market in Brighton and Hove – which has been revealed to be the country’s gazumping capital.

Almost 35% of homebuyers in the city had a bid accepted, only for the sellers to drop them for a higher bidder.

But Brighton and Hove’s £263,000 house price is a snip compared to the extra £120,000 needed to buy an average property eight miles up the road.

Lewes MP Norman Baker, who has lived in and represented Lewes for 30 years, said: “The price of property reflects the way people feel about the town but the only downside to this is the need for affordable housing for those born in the town who want to stay here, which is why I am committed to ensuring any developments, such as the one in North Street are affordable.

“Lewes is a wonderful town with delightful architecture and lovely people so I’m not surprised people want to live here.”

Andy Hulme, mortgages director at Lloyds Bank which compiled the research, said: “Market towns are important hubs of social interaction and cohesion, as well as providers of employment and support for local business. Market towns are also, in most cases, very attractive places to live.

“This is reflected in the majority of market towns having higher property prices than their surrounding counties – a premium that increased in the past decade.

“Home buyers continue to be attracted to the high quality of life, architecture, history, setting and community spirit offered by market towns and are prepared to pay a premium to live there.”

Views from the community

LEWES residents commented online on the rising house prices and Lewes’s best and worst features.

User ProfYaffle said: “Lewes is really pretty special, I think.

“It’s a beautiful town with an amazing history and ancient buildings, in a spectacular setting in the middle of the most beautiful countryside in southern England.

“It must have the best collection of pubs in any small town in the country.

“It has great transport connections to London and Brighton – and is close enough to the latter for a night out on a regular basis.

“The schools are good. There is an interesting, quirky, bohemian element to Lewes (both old and new residents) which makes it quite different to most towns in the south east, which seem far more conventional.

“Unlike most small towns, Lewes is full of interesting and eccentric people. And there is a great sense of community; people generally seem to care. Plus the bonfire. What isn’t there to like?

“The downside is the housing stock is pretty limited and it’s quite small, which is one of the reasons why prices have gone up so much.”

Humbert said: “Lewes is made by the people who live there. That’s what makes it great.

“You only have to look at how many fantastic, community-run events take place to see that.

“From bonfire to the football club and much in between, it’s a town run by the people, for the people and doesn’t exclude anyone taking part because of lack of means (ironic considering house prices are now pricing out the people who helped make this fantastic community in the first place).

“It’s like Brighton used to be when it was non-commercially vibrant. Lewes is teetering on the brink now.

“There’s a lot of people moved in recently who will help it or break it. If they try to make it Little London like a lot of people moving to Brighton did, then they’ll break it just like Brighton is arguably more fragmented and less inclusive than it used to be. If they become part of the community and join in then they’ll help it.

“The big danger to the culture of Lewes is it becoming a dead town during the week if the people who want another train line to get even more commuters into town get their way.”

Clifford said: “So soaring house prices because of the demand from London commuters is a great thing is it?

“I suppose it is if you’ve got a place to sell here. Otherwise, it’s a nightmare for people born here who want to stay here.”

Old Bloke described the town as “very deluded about how attractive it is”.

He said: “Very ordinary shopping centre unless you like lace, candles, junk and over priced carrot cake, topped off with some awful architecture and an abundance of unused and ugly public buildings.

“Please hurry up and build that nice hotel and shops to replace that awful building on Friars Walk, do something with the hippie eyesore that faces the river off North Street, convert the bus garage into something decent finish with the O’Donnell as a bail hostel which Lewes so badly needs with the prison nearby.”

A brief history of Lewes

• 1066 – The building of Lewes Castle began soon after 1066. It was the stronghold of William de Warenne in Sussex.
• 1077 – Lewes Priory was founded by William de Warren and his wife Gundrada – at one stage the building was the biggest man-made structure in England.
• 1148 – Lewes Charter of Independence – King Stephen.
• 1264 – Battle of Lewes. On May 14, Simon de Montfort’s rebel troops launched a dawn attack on the King’s forces. The resulting battle, which lasted for much of the next 24 hours, saw the town set alight and the royal troops slaughtered. The following day, King Henry III issued the surrender and signed the Mise of Lewes, which set in motion the move towards the creation of Parliament.
• 1486 – Henry VIII gave Anne of Cleves House to his fourth wife as part of the their divorce settlement (although Anne never lived there).
• 1545 – French attack Seaford – beaten off by Sir Nicholas Pelham of Lewes. His house is now the White Hart Hotel.
• 1555 – 17 Protestant martyrs were burned at the stake in front of the Star Inn – which is now the Town Hall. A memorial to the martyrs was unveiled on Cliffe Hill in 1901.
• 1768 – Exciseman Thomas Paine, lived in Lewes for six years while developing his political ideas before leaving for America in 1774 and being propelled onto the world stage as the “father of the American revolution”.
• 1846 – The town became a railway junction, with lines constructed from the north, south and east to two railway stations.
• 1853 – Cliffe Bonfire Society and Lewes Borough (previously known as Lewes Bonfire Society) were founded.
• 1855 – Commercial Square bonfire society founded n 1880 – John Harvey established the Bridge Wharf Brewery on its present site by the River Ouse.
• 1885 – Lewes Football Club formed at a meeting at The Royal Oak pub.
• 1913 – South Street bonfire society was formed for the children of the members of the Cliffe.
• 1911 – Viginia Woolf rented small houses around Lewes.
• 1919 – Virginia and Leonard Woolf purchased the Round House in Pipe Passage, for £300 but never lived there. It was sold again for £800,000 in 2009.
• 1954 – Waterloo bonfire society reformed.
• 1967 – Neville Junior specifically for children representing the Nevill Estate.
• 2005 – Southover Bonfire Society reformed after being disbanded in 1985 n 2010 – The Rooks became a member-owned club with six founder members, including Patrick Marber, the writer of Hollywood films Closer and Notes on a Scandal.
• 2011 – TV chef Nigella Lawson bought a share in Lewes FC.