A guide to antiquing in Lewes, East Sussex ⚜️
Plus my recommendations for eating, drinking and being merry when you're not snapping up vintage treasures 🍷🍝
If there’s one thing you should know about me, it’s that I love antiquing and vintage shopping - and my favourite place to rummage for bargains in dusty corners and long-forgotten crevices is, of course, Lewes. Not only is it a beautiful place to spend a lazy Saturday, but it also has some of the very best independent, antique and vintage shops in the area.
James and I go on a pilgrimage to Lewes a couple of times a year and it’s one of my favourite traditions ever. We grab coffee and pastries, hop on the bus (so we can have a few glasses of wine at lunch and not worry about driving), and then I drag James around all of my favourite shops until we decide that it’s time for a pub pitstop. After that, we head to the Needlemakers, an iconic Lewes landmark built in 1820 that was originally a candlemaking factory and now houses myriad independent shops and, most importantly, our favourite lunch spot: Squisito. We gorge on pasta and wine before rolling back down the hill, stopping in at the flea market and then nodding off on the bus back to Tunbridge Wells. Bliss.
So, without further ado, here’s my guide to antique and vintage shopping in Lewes!
TRAVEL
I highly recommend visiting Lewes by train or bus - parking is, frankly, nightmarish, and it’s always far less stressful to hop on public transport. We get the bus from where we are in West Kent, but if you’re coming from London or Brighton, the train is the easiest option.
SHOPPING
Oh, this is where the fun begins. You’ve had your coffee, so it’s time to roll your sleeves up and get rummaging. Keep walking over the River Ouse (stopping to take in the view of Harvey’s Brewery on the left, of course) to the cobbled Cliffe High Street and you’ll find a whole row of shops dedicated to antique and vintage treasures.
Start at May’s Antiques on the righthand side - a small but jam-packed shop where you can find everything from antique armchairs to 1920s brooches and fine jewellery, plus a small selection of vintage clothing too. I would say that it’s more of a curated selection than a flea market kind of vibe, but still very much worth a visit.
Next door is the Cliffe Antiques Centre, which also houses some incredible antique furniture pieces, ceramics, jewellery and vintage fashion. The staff are incredibly knowledgeable here, especially if you’re looking for something specific and need an expert’s eye!
Across the street, you’ll find my favourite spot for a proper rummage: the Lewes Antiques Centre. Five (yes, five!) floors of pure antiquing magic, from the ground floor right up into the attic, with some modern pieces mixed in too. This place is basically a day out in itself, there’s so much to see. I think it’s the perfect place to start if you’ve never been antiquing before - the staff are super friendly and welcoming, the prices are reasonable, and you’re free to explore and get stuck in without feeling like you’re being watched. On this trip, I picked up a bundle of bright pink candlesticks, a decorative plate, some antique serving spoons and a fabulous shopping bag.
Crossing back over to the other side, the Emporium Antiques Centre is one of those shops that feels as if it stretches back forever. If it’s jewellery you’re after, this is the place for you - it’s a magpie’s nest of silver, costume and fine jewels. Towards the back of the shop, you’ll find furniture, ceramics and artwork, and down the stairs there’s even a dedicated vintage clothing section.
Special mention also goes to Belle & Co, which is well worth a visit if you’re looking for mid-century furniture. We don’t usually visit this particular shop on our trips, but this time, we decided to pop our heads in and it did not disappoint! The owners specialise in modern, retro interiors with some gorgeous seventies pieces at very reasonable prices.
We’re nearing the end now, I promise! The Legion Antiques Centre sits just around the corner on Morris Road - a properly old school place that is more like a warehouse than a curated shopping experience, and that’s exactly why we love it. There’s an upstairs space with smaller items, while the downstairs mainly consists of larger furniture items, artwork and glass cabinets full of trinkets, jewellery and higher end ceramics. We almost bought a beautiful Georgian chest of drawers here (a total steal at £250) but decided that it didn’t quite fit the bill for us.
Located all the way back up the hill and usually our last stop before we head home, the Lewes Flea Market is a very, very special place - probably because whenever I go in there, I’m already deep in a pasta and wine induced stupor. No, but seriously, it really is a total delight and definitely boasts the most reasonably priced items of all the antique shops in Lewes. I found my best bargain of the entire trip here: a fish gluggle jug, for £10. Ten. Pounds. Similarly to the Lewes Antiques Centre, the flea market is a gloriously eccentric treasure trove crammed with every type of antique item you could possibly imagine, plus a few that I guarantee you will never see anywhere else. We always come away with something special!
FOOD & DRINK
When you’re all shopped out and have decided that it’s time to stop for a drink, you won’t be short on options in Lewes. We often plump for one of the pubs on Cliffe High Street (the Gardener’s Arms is a particular fave), but this time we headed back over the river and up the hill to The White Hart. I was thrilled to discover that they serve my favourite Nyetimber sparkling wine by the glass, so if you’re into your English wines, this is the place for you! The food also looked spectacular, so much so that I’ve booked a table for my mum’s birthday later this month.
This pub is also conveniently located just two minutes’ walk from the Needlemakers, where our table at Squisito was waiting. Oh, Squisito. I don’t actually have the words for how much we love this restaurant. The team are always incredibly friendly (on my birthday, they insisted on pouring us a glass of fizz each on the house and brought us a bunch of free sides, too) and the food…I mean, it’s genuinely the best pasta I have ever eaten outside of Italy. If you don’t believe me, this review by Tom Parker Bowles might change your mind! It is almost outrageously well priced for the quality of the ingredients, the wine list is to die for and if you’re in the mood for an apertif, they even serve negronis for £5. Ugh, it’s just too good.
THINGS TO NOTE
Go with an open mind. You never know what you might come across in an antique store, so it’s always best not to have a plan and just see what happens.
Don’t be afraid to get down and dirty, literally and figuratively! Be direct and upfront - strike up a conversation with staff, barter a little, ask if you want to get a closer look at an item off a high shelf or in a cabinet. Go all in and you will come out triumphant, I promise.
If you like an item, pick it up. It doesn’t mean that you’re definitely going to buy it, but if you leave it on the shelf, someone else might sneak in there and nab it! You can always leave it behind the front desk while you decide, or if it’s a large piece, it’s totally fine to ask the staff to reserve it for a couple of hours.
Take your time. Antiquing and vintage shopping is not an activity to be rushed - the joy of it is in the process! If you want to try something on, try it on. If you want to take photos of an item or measure it up, ask a staff member and they’ll be happy to help you! Secondhand shopping is a slow, meaningful practice, because you’re choosing to consider your purchases rather than consume without purpose or thought.
Be silly and have fun! If you’re not trying on the ridiculous hat or feather boa and giggling like you’re in a noughties rom com, what are you even doing?!
Don’t forget about the charity shops. We didn’t have time to pop into the chazzas in Lewes this time, but there are some fabulous bargains to be had if you’re in the right place at the right time! Charity shopping is a different vibe altogether, but it’s always worth having a rummage through the rails.
Thank you so much for reading (and well done if you got to the end. That was a slog). Do let me know if you end up planning a trip to Lewes, I’d love to hear from you in the comments! x
The glug jugs!!!
I'm overdue a Sussex trip so will definitely be referring back to this post.