Fitzroy House
Fitzroy House, 10 High Street, Lewes, East Sussex, BN7 2AD
Fitzroy House was built in 1862 and was commissioned by Hannah Fitzroy (nee Rothschild) as a Memorial Library in honour of her deceased husband Sir Henry Fitzroy, MP for Lewes from 1837-60. Hannah was the second daughter of Nathan Rothschild, of the wealthy banking family.
Hannah chose Sir George Gilbert Scott to design what has been described as one of the best small Gothic buildings in the country. Scott was chosen by Queen Victoria to design the Albert Memorial in London in memory of her own husband, who died in 1861. Scott's most famous 'Victorian Gothic' building is probably the Midland Hotel at St Pancras, London (1865).
In 1897 Fitzroy Memorial Library was adopted as the town's first public library, and remained so until 1956. The Fitzroy is said to have been frequented by Virginia Woolf, who lived at Monk's House in Rodmell from 1919 until her death in 1941.
The building is described in the East Sussex volume of the Pevsner 'Buildings of England' guide as follows:
Red brick with some decorative black brick and stone and polished marble dressings. Steep roof with a prominent chimney stack and clock turret and a tall fleche. Symmetrical façade to High Street with grand gabled centrepiece, a bracketed balcony forming an entrance porch. Two tiers of windows, paired lancets below, circular above, set within a Gothic arcade of polychrome arches on pilasters with carved capitals. Inside, galleried reading room and the main staircase with a Gothic balustrade.
Timings
- Friday 11 September:
- 10.00 - 16.00
- Saturday 12 September:
- 10.00 - 16.00
Location & directions
Fitzroy House, 10 High Street, Lewes, East Sussex, BN7 2AD
- Directions:
- The Town centre location is easy to find being at the heart of the town adjacent to the precinct. Bus stops for the 28 and 29 bus routes (serving Brighton, Heathfield, Uckfield, Tunbridge Wells, Eastbourne, Crowborough and Hailsham) are located close by in the School Hill part of the High Street.
- Contact on day:
- Alison Grant 01273 476499
- Telephone number:
- +441273476499
Booking information
- Pre-booking requirement:
- Pre-booking not required
Accessibility details
Visitors should take care at the entrance where there are some small steps. Access to the upper floors is not possible.
Additional information
Public Lavatories with separate baby changing facilities are situated nearby in the adjacent Friars Walk public ( Pay and Display) car park.
