Thomas Paine: Legacy

29/01/2026

Thomas Paine was born in Thetford, Norfolk on 29th January 1737. He would go on to participate in both the American and French Revolutions. Happy birthday Thomas Paine!

23/01/2026

Come add your own patch to the Coat of Hopes (or tend to an existing patch) tomorrow (24th January). There will be some material available, but please feel free to bring something from home.

Bull House, 92 High Street, 11am-1pm, entry is free

www.thomaspainelegacy.org/events

05/01/2026

On 10 January 1776, Common Sense gave voice to a revolution. On 10 January 1776, Common Sense gave voice to a revolution. 250 years on, scholars from around the world come together to explore the author Thomas Paine’s legacy — from independence and self-rule to the urgent democratic questions of our own time.

📅 International Conference | 9–10 January 2026
🎤 Featuring keynotes by Danielle Allen (Harvard University) & Gregory Claeys (Royal Holloway)
🎤 Award-winning podcast Benjamin Franklin’s World will be recording an episode
🤝 Organised in collaboration with the University of Sussex & The Institute for Thomas Paine Studies (Iona University, NY)

🌍 Public registration for online sessions now open
🔗 www.thomaspainelegacy.org/events

Iona University University of Sussex Ben Franklin's World Visit Lewes

04/01/2026

What a day! Today we walked the Coat of Hopes from Brighton to Lewes. The sun was shining, the views were glorious and the coat is now at Bull House for you to visit till Saturday 24th January. Open Thursdays and Saturdays, 11am-3pm. Free entry. Bull House, 92 High Street, Lewes, East Sussex. Coat of Hopes Also delighted to see the story made the Argus

02/01/2026

The year is new. The air is fresh. What better way to kick off the new year than by getting outside, feeling energized, and walking with purpose?

This Sunday, January 4, join the Coat of Hopes to walk our hopes for ourselves and our communities into the year ahead — together.

👣 Walk with us
🕙 10am — Departing from Dorset Gardens Methodist Church, Brighton

🌿 Or help welcome the Coat home
🕒 3pm — Cliffe Bridge, Lewes

As we step into this new year, we also commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence — a document that expressed hopes, intentions, and ideals for a new nation. This walk kicks off a year-long series of events at Bull House, reflecting on that important milestone and the relevance of those ideals today.

Take a turn wearing the Coat, which has traveled over 1,900 miles on foot and with song. Walk, breathe, reflect. Set your intentions for the coming months as the Coat returns to rest at Bull House, before continuing its journey towards Land’s End on February 1.

You don’t have to walk far. Everyone is welcome. Just come with your hopes, intentions, and a good pair of shoes.

Visit Lewes Visit Sussex South Downs National Park

22/12/2025

From tired old carpet ➡️ stunning wooden floors ✨

So satisfying to watch this transformation at Bull House!

Huge THANK YOU to our amazing volunteers who put in the hard work to uncover this beauty 💪🤎 Couldn’t do it without you!

05/09/2025

Come face to face with the amazing of Lucinda Wait at Bull House. Part of the Artwave Festival which launches tomorrow! Visit us at 92 High Street, , BN7 1XH - the art will be here throughout September. www.artwavefestival.org entry. Open Thursdays & Saturdays, 11am-3pm. Also open throughout Lewes Heritage Open Days (12th-14th September). Visit Lewes Visit Sussex Experience Sussex

21/08/2025

Our Director, Leanne, continues on the trail of Lord North, the Prime Minister who ‘lost America’. Here she shares an insight into the friendship between North’s father and George III’s dad, Frederick the Prince of Wales.

20/08/2025

A reminder that - thanks to our amazing team of volunteers - Bull House is open 11am-3pm, Thursdays and Saturdays. Entry is free. See you there!

Visit Sussex Experience Sussex

20/08/2025

Our Director has been out and about researching her new book! Here’s the beautiful Wroxton Abbey, Oxfordshire, ancestral home of Lord North (aka ‘the man who lost us America’) https://www.instagram.com/reel/DNkn6QZI0-l/?igsh=a3EzeTR3cGs3Z2N5

23/05/2025

And we’re open! Thanks to our amazing team of volunteers, Bull House is now open every Thursday and Saturday, 11am-3pm. Free entry.

Listen to our Director, Leanne O’Boyle, talking to Danny Pike on BBC Radio Sussex yesterday morning about Thomas Paine and the opening of Bull House. Skip to 1:53:49 for the interview. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002cfjg

Bull House, 92 High Street, Lewes, East Sussex, BN7 1XH www.thomaspainelegacy.org

Danny brings you the perfect start to your day in Sussex.

21/05/2025

Early this morning, a call for help came from the community. Can we free the jackdaw trapped in Bull House?