Telephone: 01273 475631
Email: millers134@aol.com

History

Situated on picturesque St Anne's Hill, the house has many historic associations. In the first half of the 18th century it belonged, along with many other Lewes properties, to the 1st Duke of Newcastle who was twice Prime Minister. During the Georgian period the house was refronted in brick.

The name Millers derives from the fact that during much of the 19th century the house was occupied by a succession of millers who sold their produce from the front parlour, now the dining room. They worked the only known six sail post-mill in the county. Situated to the west of the town, this was, sadly, blown down in a gale in 1916. A millstone from "Old Six Sweeps" may still be seen in the garden.

Never a "grand" house perhaps Millers' best known residents were two eccentric sisters, Frances Byng-Stamper and Caroline Lucas, who bought the property in 1939.

"The Ladies of Millers", as the two were known, were enthusiastic patrons of the Arts and maintained a close association with the members of the Bloomsbury Group whose rural retreat was at nearby Charleston Farmhouse. During the war years they converted the stables into an exhibition area in which they staged over 40 art exhibitions, concerts and lectures. After the war they set up the "Millers Press" commissioning lithographs and monotypes from leading artists. They died in the late 1960s. The stables were demolished in 1972.

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Millers has two double bedrooms for visitors. They are centrally heated and each has a colour television and a tea and coffee tray.

The Rose Room. Early in its history the building housed The Rose Inn. The furniture in the room is Victorian and includes a mahogany four-poster bed. From its bathroom there is a pretty garden view.

The Studio. At the rear of the house and overlooking the garden, this room was formerly used by The Ladies of Millers as a studio. It has a large four-poster bed under a magnificent array of exposed roof beams. The shower room en suite has been constructed in an area reputed to have been a Priest hole.

Full English breakfasts, which may be vegetarian, are served in the beamed dining room. For other meals Lewes boasts a wide variety of good restaurants.

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Visitors may be delighted to learn that it is indeed this Millers Bed & Breakfast that is the setting for the epilogue of The Marmalade Shore, and it is the back garden which is referred to throughout as Lady Alicia's private mousing grounds. Sadly, neither Bryan nor Lady Alicia – or Alice, as we knew her – are still with us.

Lewes, the county town of East Sussex, has much to offer the visitor. The delights of its architecture are well documented and its interesting shops include many specialising in crafts and antiques. Well served by public transport, the town is an excellent centre for touring the Weald or walking the Downs. Brighton, Newhaven, Glyndebourne and the Universities of Sussex and Brighton are nearby.

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Reductions are made if guests stay two or more consecutive nights.

New guests should note that a much appreciated "no smoking" policy operates at Millers.

[History] [Accommodation] [Lewes] [Tariff]

If you would like further information please write, telephone or email millers134@aol.com. We will be glad to hear from you.