Arriving into Lewes station you could be forgiven for thinking you'd turned up in a large Victorian greenhouse, with its high glass roof and ornate gallery. The design dates back to 1889, but it wasn't the original station. Trains first came to this thriving town seven miles from Brighton in the South Downs in 1846, and there was also another station built on this site in 1857.
With over 2.5m passengers annually, Lewes station is a busy commuter and tourist hub on the East Coastway Line with two trains per hour to London Victoria plus services to Brighton, Eastbourne and Ashford International, and Seaford on a branch line. Many of the visitors come around 5 November each year, as the town is perhaps best known for hosting one of the country's largest and most famous bonfire night celebrations. Lewes is also one of a handful of towns in the UK to have its own currency - 1 Lewes Pound is equivalent to £1 sterling - to help encourage local trade.