Cultural centre gets 25-year lease to help fulfil vision for national gallery in Lewes
Lewes District Council has announced that Charleston in Lewes has been granted a 25-year lease.
The decision was made at a cabinet meeting on Thursday, March 20, following the cultural centre’s 18-month trial period at Southover House.
At the meeting, leader of Lewes District Council Zoe Nicholson commended the centre’s work to put learning and student experience at its heart.
Councillor Nicholson said the decision would prove ‘fundamentally important’ in fulfilling the vision of opening a national gallery in town that would bring work of national and international significance to Sussex in partnership with leading galleries.
She said: “As well as the wonderful cultural contribution and hugely welcome economic impact on our town, it is the far-reaching and highly significant collaboration between Charleston in Lewes and East Sussex College Group that has really brought the council’s ambition for our partnership to life. Young people and their education and training are central to so much of what Charleston in Lewes has become, and that relationship will only continue to evolve and develop. It was no surprise recently that Ofsted inspectors praised the creative skills programme, something that 800 students will enjoy over the coming year.
“I’m also delighted that over 2,000 residents have taken part in workshops, teachers from 22 schools have participated in artist-led training programmes and 41 per cent of visitors have visited for free or benefitted from concessions, such as a monthly weekend Pay What You Can day and free entrance for all under-18s.”
Charleston in Lewes recently reported its busiest week ever when almost 2,000 people visited over half term. The council said that work by Picasso, Modigliani, Lee Miller, and Grayson Perry has attracted more than 100,000 people since September 2023.
Councillor Nicholson said: “The granting of a longer lease is fundamentally important if the team at Charleston is to establish partnerships with Tate, the V&A, and National Portrait Gallery, attract more external investment, and open a national gallery in Lewes – an incredibly exciting prospect and one that would undoubtedly generate an even greater number of visitors to the town and support more jobs for local people.”
The council said a survey found that nearly two-thirds of visitors combined their visit with other activities in Lewes, with nearly half visiting restaurants, bars, shops, markets or other cultural venues. They said that over a five-year period, the cultural centre is projected to attract more than 560,000 visitors and generate an annual average of £4 million in town-wide economic benefits. It is also estimated that it will create 56 jobs.
Councillor Johnny Denis, Cabinet Member for Arts and Culture, said: “We are proud of our partnerships with local charities that allow us to retain council buildings and ensure that they can be enjoyed by our residents.
“Our successful partnership with Wave Active and its running of our sports and leisure centres reflect this approach, and I’m delighted that we have reached an agreement with Charleston that provides them with a building in the town centre in exchange for huge economic and social benefits, but without an accompanying grant.
“At a time when many local authorities are cutting funding and closing theatres, cultural venues and sporting facilities, this council is determined to support and nurture them, so this generation and generations still to come can enjoy them.”