Lewes Castle awarded The Royal Society funding
We’re delighted that Lewes Castle & Museum is one of only 36 museums across the country to have been awarded funding from the Royal Society in its Places of Science scheme to engage communities with their local science stories.
Places of Science aims to celebrate projects that will evoke curiosity, interest and enthusiasm by exploring science in a creative way, while also contributing to the museum sector’s recovery.
The Lewes Castle & Museum project is called Exploring nature in Sussex and will focus on the work of John Evelyn, a 17th Century writer and founding member of the Royal Society, who was a resident of Lewes.
Entries from his diaries are some of the earliest recognising the long-term effects of climate on plant growth.
Inspired by this, as well as the Society’s own collection of 19th Century botanical illustrations mainly by female artists, Lewes Castle will work with a creative writer to produce a series of audio pieces that will serve as an audio guide to the Castle gardens.
The museum will work with other conservation organisations in the area, which includes the South Downs National Park and the Living Coast Biosphere, to encourage visitors to record their own observations about weather and nature.
Professor Jonathan Ashmore FMedSci FRS, Chair of the Places of science panel, and Professor of Biophysics at UCL said: “The projects funded use a diverse range of creative activities and content to inspire their local communities.
“If your local museum has been given a Places of Science award, I would like to encourage you to look out for the displays, festivals, and exhibitions, that celebrate the science on your doorstep and that will inspire local generations to come.”