Editing Lewes (section)

===Natural sites===

Three [[Sites of Special Scientific Interest]] lie within the parish: [[Lewes Downs]], [[Lewes Brooks]] and [[Southerham Works Pit]]. Lewes Downs is a site of [[biological]] interest, an isolated area of the South Downs.<ref>{{cite web|title=SSSI Citation – Lewes Downs |publisher=Natural England |url=http://www.english-nature.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1002952.pdf |access-date=12 October 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081030112238/http://www.english-nature.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1002952.pdf |archive-date=30 October 2008}}</ref> Lewes Brooks, also of biological importance, is part of the floodplain of the [[River Ouse, Sussex|River Ouse]], providing a habitat for many invertebrates such as water beetles and snails.<ref>{{cite web|title=SSSI Citation – Lewes Brooks |publisher=Natural England |url=http://www.english-nature.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1003002.pdf |access-date=12 October 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081030112240/http://www.english-nature.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1003002.pdf |archive-date=30 October 2008}}</ref> Southerham Works Pit is of [[geological]] interest, a disused [[chalk]] pit displaying a wide variety of fossilised fish remains.<ref>{{cite web|title=SSSI Citation – Southerham Works Pit |publisher=Natural England |url=http://www.english-nature.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/200061.pdf |access-date=12 October 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081030112203/http://www.english-nature.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/200061.pdf |archive-date=30 October 2008}}

</ref> The Railway Land nature reserve is on the east side of the town next to the Ouse, and contains an area of woodland and marshes, which now includes the Heart of Reeds, a sculpted reed bed designed by local land artist [[Chris Drury (artist)|Chris Drury]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Heart of Reeds |website=The Railway Land Project |url=http://railwaylandproject.org/Heart%20of%20Reeds |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090515131810/http://www.railwaylandproject.org/Heart%20of%20Reeds |url-status=dead |archive-date=15 May 2009 |access-date=3 February 2015}}</ref> The Winterbourne stream, a tributary of the Ouse, flows through it. This stream flows most winters and dries up in the summer, hence its name. It continues through Lewes going through the Grange Gardens and often travelling underground. The Heart of Reeds is one of the sites in [[East Sussex]] and [[Kent]] home to the [[marsh frog]], an introduced species. It is popular with pond-dippers and walkers. A centre for the study of environmental change is due to be built at the entrance to the nature reserve.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://railwaylandproject.org/ |title=Railway Land Project |publisher=Railwaylandproject.org |date=28 July 2011 |access-date=1 August 2011 |archive-date=27 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727200905/http://railwaylandproject.org/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

On 21 August 1864, Lewes experienced an [[earthquake]] measuring 3.1 on the [[Richter magnitude scale]].
{{Geographic location
| title     = '''Neighbouring areas'''
| Northwest = [[Ditchling]], [[Burgess Hill]]
| North     = [[Barcombe Cross]]
| Northeast = [[Ringmer]], [[Uckfield]]
| West      = [[Falmer]]
| Centre    = Lewes
| East      = [[Hailsham]]
| Southwest = [[Brighton]]
| South     = [[Newhaven, East Sussex|Newhaven]], [[Peacehaven]]
| Southeast = [[Seaford, East Sussex|Seaford]], [[Eastbourne]]
}}