Christ Church

The flint-faced church that dominates Lewes's high street is more than just another parish church - it's where the town's entire story seems to pivot. Christ Church sits with real presence, its stonework dark and serious against the surrounding Georgian terraces, and stepping inside you immediately understand why locals treat it as the spiritual centre of things.

The interior's surprisingly spacious for a Sussex town church, with decent medieval bones even if much was rebuilt after fire damage. What catches you is how it anchors Lewes itself - locals pop in between the bookshops and pubs, and there's none of that abandoned-relic feel you sometimes get with village churches. The brass plaques and memorials actually tell you something about who lived here and mattered.

It's not a destination in itself - you won't want to spend three hours here - but it's essential if you're wandering Lewes properly, which you should be. Spend twenty minutes inside, read a few inscriptions, then head back out to the high street for lunch. Free entry, obviously.

If you're staying at The Secret Campsite or Three Ponds Holiday Park nearby, you're well-placed for exploring the town. Lewes itself is compact and walkable, all narrow streets and independent shops, so Christ Church becomes just one piece of a proper morning or afternoon out. Worth stopping by, certainly. Essential viewing? No. But it's the kind of place that makes a market town feel like somewhere real, not a picture-postcard.