Sussex Archaeological Society

What Sussex Archaeological Society does

The Sussex Archaeological Society is a registered charity and company limited by guarantee (Charity No. 207037), founded on 18 June 1846 and operating under the trading name Sussex Past. It is widely regarded as one of the oldest county archaeological societies in England, with 180 years of continuous operation. The Society cares for a portfolio of seven heritage properties across Sussex — Lewes Castle & Museum, Fishbourne Roman Palace & Gardens, Michelham Priory House & Gardens, Anne of Cleves House, The Priest House & Gardens, Marlipins Museum, and The Long Man of Wilmington — encompassing 10 Listed buildings, 6 Scheduled Monuments, 1 Registered park and garden, and 6 Accredited museums, supported by a research library at Barbican House in Lewes and the long-running Sussex Archaeological Collections journal (published since 1847). Annual visitor numbers exceed 120,000 and the membership base exceeds 1,300 individuals.

The Society generates revenue through seven principal streams: admissions and ticketing across its heritage sites (priced £3.50-£15 per adult depending on site, with Gift Aid conversion options); annual membership subscriptions from approximately £1 per week for family tier; venue hire for weddings, corporate events, and filming at three sites (Lewes Castle up to 80 guests, Michelham Priory, Anne of Cleves House); on-site retail and food & beverage (gift shops, Blue Door Café at Michelham Priory, Patisserie Lewes at Anne of Cleves House); educational services reaching 20,000 children annually through school trips and workshops; donations and fundraising including adoption programs (Adopt a Step, Adopt a Tessera), Crowdfunder appeals, and the Sussex Guardians Appeal; and periodic grants from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, UK Government Culture Recovery Fund, Royal Society Places of Science scheme, and other heritage bodies. Commercial operations are housed in a wholly-owned trading subsidiary, Sussex Past Trading Limited.

The technology stack is non-proprietary: ticketing runs on the DigiTickets platform with Paymentsense payment processing; no proprietary platform, no AI/ML components, and no software products are disclosed. Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer via physical sites and the sussexpast.co.uk website, supported by event-driven seasonal programming (outdoor theatre, festivals, family activities) and a community-led membership model. Distribution channels are regional (Southeast England) with a digital self-serve ticketing layer available globally. The Society employs a multi-channel marketing approach combining the website, Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, email newsletters, PR, Heritage Open Days, and community engagement (Blue Plaques, Friends groups, volunteering). Governance is provided by a Board of Trustees chaired by Amanda Jones (FCCA, with prior senior roles at National Museums Northern Ireland and Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival), supported by trustees with backgrounds at English Heritage, the National Trust, Science Museum Group, V&A, the Association for Cultural Enterprises, and other major cultural institutions.

Name

Sussex Archaeological Society

Legal name

The Sussex Archaeological Society Ltd

Website

https://sussexpast.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1846

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Sussex Archaeological Society (trading as Sussex Past) is a 180-year-old registered charity managing seven historic heritage sites across Sussex, including Lewes Castle and Fishbourne Roman Palace. It serves 120,000+ annual visitors, 1,300+ members, and 20,000 schoolchildren via admissions, memberships, venue hire, education, retail, and grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Heritage site management and cultural heritage services

NAICS

Historical Sites (71212), Museums (712110), Historical Sites (712120), Museums (71211)

akta.pro primary industry

Historic Sites, Heritage Landmarks & Archaeological Sites (THAJACAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

History Museums (THAJADAB), Iconic Architecture & Signature Buildings (Cathedrals, Palaces, Castles) (THAJACAE), Monuments, Statues & Memorials (THAJACAB)

Keywords

• Heritage site management
• Archaeological society services
• Historic venue hire
• Museum education programs
• Heritage conservation charity

Headquarters

HQ city

Lewes

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Admissions and Ticket Sales: Revenue from admission tickets to heritage sites including Lewes Castle, Fishbourne Roman Palace, Michelham Priory, Anne of Cleves House, The Priest House, and Marlipins Museum. Ticket prices vary by site with discounts for seniors, children, families, and groups.
2. Membership Subscriptions: Annual membership providing free entry to all sites, starting from approximately £1 per week for family membership. Includes 12 months free entry with Gift Aid donation option.
3. Venue Hire and Events: Revenue from hiring historic venues for weddings, corporate events, filming, and private celebrations at Lewes Castle, Michelham Priory, and Anne of Cleves House.
4. Donations and Fundraising: Voluntary donations through Crowdfunder, adoption programs (adopt a step, adopt a tessera), and the Sussex Guardians Appeal targeting £25,000 for property conservation.
5. On-site Retail and Food & Beverage: Revenue from café operations including Blue Door Café at Michelham Priory (run by Bryony Basden) and Patisserie Lewes at Anne of Cleves House, plus gift shops at all sites.
6. Educational Services: Revenue from school trips and educational workshops at heritage sites, serving approximately 20,000 children annually.
7. Grants and Government Funding: Occasional grants from National Lottery Heritage Fund, Culture Recovery Fund, and other heritage funding bodies to support conservation and development projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

The Sussex Archaeological Society operates seven historic heritage sites across Sussex — Lewes Castle & Museum, Fishbourne Roman Palace & Gardens, Michelham Priory House & Gardens, Anne of Cleves House, The Priest House & Gardens, Marlipins Museum, and The Long Man of Wilmington — selling admission tickets, annual memberships, school learning programmes, wedding and corporate venue hire, retail, food & beverage, and supported by donations, grants, and a research library at its Barbican House headquarters.

Product overview

Sussex Archaeological Society (operating as Sussex Past) manages a portfolio of heritage sites across Sussex, including seven historic properties: Lewes Castle & Museum, Fishbourne Roman Palace & Gardens, Michelham Priory House & Gardens, Anne of Cleves House, The Priest House & Gardens, Marlipins Museum, and The Long Man of Wilmington. The organization offers venue hire services for weddings and events, educational programs for schools, membership subscriptions with free site access, and an online ticketing platform. Additional services include a research library at Barbican House, publication of the Sussex Archaeological Collections journal since 1847, and donation programs such as Adopt a Tessera and Adopt a Step. The Society is a registered charity founded in 1846, receiving no government funding and relying on admissions, donations, and memberships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lewes Castle & Museum

Quantifiable outcome

• Serves 20,000 children annually through education service
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• The NoviumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with The Novium at Fishbourne Roman Palace Collections Discovery Centre, providing shared facilities and collaborative approach to heritage conservation and visitor experience.
• Brighton Dome & Brighton FestivalmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in Good Space volunteering programme, a £200,000+ initiative to promote volunteering across the region, supporting inclusive volunteering opportunities in cultural and heritage venues.
• Heads On CharitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in Good Space volunteering programme supporting mental health and wellbeing through volunteering in arts, heritage and sports organisations.
• Archaeology Data Services (ADS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDigital volunteers and ADS partnership to make Sussex Archaeological Collections (volumes 1-136) available online, digitizing 175+ years of scholarly research.
• The Sussex GuildminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCraft artisans organization hosting Contemporary Craft Show at Michelham Priory, bringing local handmade crafts and unique wares to heritage venue.
• EradipestminorOthersPest control specialists who completed restoration work on historic box hedges at Fishbourne Roman Palace.
• CrowdfunderminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCrowdfunding platform used for Sussex Guardians Appeal and donation collection.
• Changing Chalk PartnershipmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHeritage partnership offering workshops and courses. Participants gain skills in historic building recording and archaeological survey techniques at heritage sites.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Churches Conservation Trust: UK charity caring for historic churches with free public access and educational programming. Comparable as a heritage conservation charity with visitor sites, community engagement and learning focus.
• English Heritage: National charity caring for 400+ historic sites across England including castles, priories and Roman remains. Comparable to Sussex Archaeological Society as a heritage-property operator and membership organisation, but at vastly larger scale and with regular government funding.
• National Trust: UK's largest conservation charity managing historic houses, gardens and coastlines with a membership-led model. Overlaps with Sussex Archaeological Society on heritage property stewardship, membership subscriptions and educational programming, though at national scale.
• Historic Royal Palaces: Independent charity managing unoccupied royal palaces including Tower of London and Hampton Court. Comparable as a venue-hire and visitor-attraction heritage operator monetising historic properties via admissions, memberships and events.

Direct peers

• Norfolk Museums Service: Operates 10 museums and historic houses across Norfolk including Norwich Castle. Comparable as a multi-site heritage portfolio with museums, learning services and venue hire.
• Wessex Heritage Trust (Dorset Museum): Charitable trust operating Dorset Museum and associated heritage assets in Dorchester. Comparable as an independent heritage trust running a flagship museum with archaeological collections, learning programmes and membership.
• York Archaeological Trust: Independent archaeological charity operating JORVIK Viking Centre and other York heritage attractions with education, exhibition and trading arms. Closest direct peer given shared model of charitable archaeological trust running visitor sites, learning services and commercial trading subsidiaries.
• Kent Archaeological Society: Founded in 1857, a county archaeological society publishing research and managing heritage assets in Kent. Most directly comparable as a long-established county archaeological society with overlapping educational, archival and conservation mission.
• Hampshire Cultural Trust: Charity operating 23+ museums, galleries and heritage sites across Hampshire on behalf of the county council. Comparable as a county-level cultural/heritage operator with portfolio of accredited museums, learning services and venue hire.

Regional players

• National Trust for Scotland: Scotland's equivalent of the National Trust, managing castles, gardens and historic houses with membership-led revenue model. Comparable mission and operating model but focused exclusively on Scotland.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sussex_society
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCUX7QAqCpN0IjwIxp8PeIiQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/100014904720329
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sussex-past-the-sussex-archaeological-society
• Instagraminstagram.com/sussexpast/?hl=en

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sussex Archaeological Society