Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Where and what is the Cockshut Stream?

A. The Cockshut is a 3km long rare chalk stream that flows from springs at the foot of the South Downs in Kingston, eventually joining The River Ouse before flowing out to sea. 

Q. What is the project?

A. We're about to begin work to realign the stream into a new channel which will flow through a 6.8 hectare wetland habitat to the east of the Stanley Turner Ground.

Q. Why is the project happening?

A. The Cockshut Stream Restoration Project is set to not only enhance biodiversity, help with flood management and carbon storage but also to restore the rights of the stream to flow unimpeded, unpolluted and with its native plants and wildlife protected.

Q. How long will it take?

A. The works should be completed by Autumn 2023. The site will then need time to settle and the grass to establish. WE hope to open it to the public again in Spring 2024.

Q. Will I be able to visit the site when it's completed?

A. Once reopened to the public, the site will be accessible to the public via a new circular walkway and bridges.

Q. Who is involved with the project?

A. The project is a partnership between Lewes District Council, the Ouse and Adur River Trust and Railway Land Wildlife Trust with support from the South Downs National Park Authority and funding from the Veolia environmental trust

Q. What's the history of the Cockshut?

A. The stream has a long and vibrant history as an important working waterway and was used in the past to deliver goods into Lewes, including stone for the building of Lewes Priory which began around 1080 AD. In the seventeenth century, water from the stream fed into Lewes’ first pumped water supply. Centuries later, in the 1830s, the Cockshut was used to supply water for the first piped-water system to serve Lewes from the reservoir head opposite the Black Horse in Western Road. Over time, the stream has been straightened, deepened, widened and disconnected from the surrounding landscape. 

Q. How is the project being funded?

A. Funding for the project has come from LDC, SDNP (CIL) and Veolia Environmental Trust.

Q. How can I be involved in local ecological projects?

A.  A great place to start is to sign up to the  Railway Land Wildlife Trust's  mailing list