Lewes
§ This page gives an overview of the Lewes local authority district, bringing together key facts, maps, and data to help you quickly understand the area. This is one of 361 LAD profiles on Baseview.
Overview ⁞ Lewes district stretches from the Sussex coast into the South Downs, with the historic market town of Lewes at its heart, dominated by a Norman castle and traditional high street. The district includes coastal towns such as Seaford, with its chalk cliffs and beaches, and Newhaven, with its harbour and maritime links. The River Ouse flows through Lewes, winding through meadows and valleys of the Downs. Villages and countryside are dotted across the rolling hills, with heritage sites, churches, and walking routes enhancing its scenic appeal.
Lewes Boundary Map
This map shows the official boundary of the Lewes local authority district, based on the latest geographic data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). It provides a clear view of the district’s extent and helps you understand how the area fits within the wider regional and national landscape.
Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2025. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
The administrative boundary of Lewes can also be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of Lewes.
Key Facts about Lewes
What region is Lewes in? Lewes is in the South East of England, a region within the UK.
What county is Lewes in? Lewes is located in the county of East Sussex.
Is Lewes a city? No, Lewes is not a city. (Note: the UK has 76 officially designated cities.)
Who governs Lewes? The local authority for this district is: Lewes District Council - responsible for district-level services. Since East Sussex is a two-tier area, county-level services are handled by: East Sussex County Council.
▶ Official website of Lewes District Council 🔗 lewes-eastbourne.gov.uk
Which police force covers Lewes? Policing in Lewes is provided by Sussex Police 🔗 sussex.police.uk, which serves 13 local authority districts: Adur ⁞ Arun ⁞ Brighton and Hove ⁞ Chichester ⁞ Crawley ⁞ Eastbourne ⁞ Hastings ⁞ Horsham ⁞ Lewes ⁞ Mid Sussex ⁞ Rother ⁞ Wealden ⁞ Worthing.
Constituencies in Lewes
Lewes is divided into 3 parliamentary constituencies, listed below in alphabetical order.
A constituency is a specific geographical area that elects one Member of Parliament (MP) to represent them in the House of Commons. The United Kingdom is divided into 650 parliamentary constituencies. We have this list page for easy browsing of all UK parliamentary constituencies: List of Constituencies.
Wards in Lewes
Lewes is divided into 21 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Chailey, Barcombe & Hamsey
- Ditchling & Westmeston
- East Saltdean & Telscombe Cliffs
- Kingston
- Lewes Bridge
- Lewes Castle
- Lewes Priory
- Newhaven North
- Newhaven South
- Newick
- Ouse Valley & Ringmer
- Peacehaven East
- Peacehaven North
- Peacehaven West
- Plumpton, Streat, East Chiltington & St John
- Seaford Central
- Seaford East
- Seaford North
- Seaford South
- Seaford West
- Wivelsfield
In the UK, a ward is a subdivision of a local authority area, used mainly for electoral and statistical purposes. Defined by the ONS, wards represent the primary unit for local elections, each returning one or more councillors to the local council. Wards are also used as a key geography for presenting population and census data. We have this list page for easy browsing of all electoral wards: List of all Electoral Wards in the UK.
Parishes in Lewes
Lewes is fully parished: 29 civil parishes, listed A-Z below.
- Barcombe
- Beddingham
- Chailey
- Ditchling
- East Chiltington
- Falmer
- Firle
- Glynde
- Hamsey
- Iford
- Kingston near Lewes
- Lewes
- Newhaven
- Newick
- Peacehaven
- Piddinghoe
- Plumpton
- Ringmer
- Rodmell
- Seaford
- South Heighton
- Southease
- St. Ann (Without)
- St. John (Without)
- Streat
- Tarring Neville
- Telscombe
- Westmeston
- Wivelsfield
A civil parish is the lowest tier of local government in England, used for villages, small towns, and suburbs. They have their own local authority, either a parish council or a parish meeting, which provides local services like managing parks, allotments, and streetlights, and represents the community's views to larger councils.
We have this list page for easy browsing of all parishes: List of Civil Parishes in England and Wales.
Post Towns in Lewes
Below is a list of post towns in Lewes, grouped by postcode area:
- BN ▸ Lewes (BN7 / BN8) ⁞ Newhaven (BN9) ⁞ Peacehaven (BN10) ⁞ Seaford (BN25)
The UK postal hierarchy begins with broad postcode areas (such as “CB” or “M”), which are divided into smaller postcode districts (such as “CB8” or “M1”) to support accurate mail routing. Each postal address is anchored by a designated post town, the official locality name used in the UK postcode system, which operates independently from Local Authority Districts —the administrative boundaries used for council tax and local government services. Because they serve different purposes, a property’s postal address and its local authority district do not always align exactly.
Built-up Areas in Lewes
Lewes covers 25 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Barcombe Cross
- Barcombe Mills
- Brighton and Hove *
- Broyle Side
- Burgess Hill *
- Ditchling
- East Saltdean *
- Hassocks and Hurstpierpoint *
- Haywards Heath *
- Kingston near Lewes
- Lewes
- Newhaven
- Newick *
- North Chailey
- Peacehaven
- Plumpton
- Plumpton Green
- Ringmer
- Rodmell
- Seaford
- South Chailey
- Telscombe Cliffs
- Westmeston
- Wivelsfield
- Wivelsfield Green
In the UK, a Built-up Area (BUA) is a continuous urban area of at least 20 hectares (0.2 km²), defined by the ONS as land where buildings are generally no more than 200 metres apart, such as towns, cities, or large villages. (Note: A BUA name marked with an asterisk (*) indicates that the area is situated partly in the district of Lewes.)
We have this list page for easy browsing of all built-up areas: List of all Built-up Areas in GB.
Railway Stations in Lewes
Lewes is served by a number of National Rail stations, providing rail connections to nearby towns, cities, and destinations across Great Britain. The railway stations listed below are located within the Lewes Local Authority District and are grouped by train operating company for clarity.
- Govia Thameslink Railway (Southern) ▸ Lewes (BN7 2UP) ⁞ Seaford (Sussex) (BN25 2AR) ⁞ Newhaven Town (BN9 0DF) ⁞ Plumpton (BN7 3DB) ⁞ Cooksbridge (BN7 3QG) ⁞ Glynde (BN8 6RU) ⁞ Bishopstone (Sussex) (BN25 2RB) ⁞ Newhaven Harbour (BN9 0BH) ⁞ Southease (BN8 6JS)
This is a district-level view only. For a complete list of all National Rail stations across Great Britain, see the UK National Rail Stations Directory.
Lewes compared with other districts in the UK
This section shows how Lewes compares with other local authority districts in the UK, using a variety of measures and rankings.
Lewes has 21 electoral wards.
Lewes has a population of 102,363 (2024 mid-year estimate by ONS)
Population and Migration Trends in Lewes
This chart shows the population trend for Lewes from 2015 to 2024. It provides a quick overview of whether the local authority is growing, stable, or declining over time, and helps set context for the migration patterns shown below.
Population change is influenced by natural change (births minus deaths) and migration. The net migration chart below focuses on migration, separating internal migration (moves within the UK) from international migration (moves to and from abroad). Positive values indicate net inflows, while negative values indicate net outflows. The rate labels (per 1,000 residents) help compare migration intensity across years, even when the population size changes.
More local statistics and data for Lewes can be found on the ONS statistics for Lewes.