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. One of 361 district 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.
The administrative boundary of Lewes can 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
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.
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.
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.)
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)
More local statistics and data for Lewes can be found on the ONS statistics for Lewes.