Living History Weekend: The Gabriellis Return to Lewes

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The year is 1487, and Anne of Cleves House (once a guest lodging of the Priory of St Pancras) is preparing for a familiar arrival Lord and Lady Gabrielli of Gubbio, trusted visitors from the Italian Papal Court, are returning to Sussex. Their last stay brought new fashions, new ideas, and a flurry of activity as the Priory welcomed its distinguished guests.

Now, the household is once again busy with preparations: rooms must be readied, supplies gathered, and staff organised to support the visiting entourage. The Gabriellis travel with surgeons, attendants, clerks and guards, each with their own needs and expectations - and the Priory must ensure everything runs smoothly. Visitors to the event will be able to explore how a late‑medieval house functioned when hosting important foreign guests: how meals were prepared, where servants slept, how messages were carried, and how the rhythms of daily life shifted when high‑status travellers arrived.

It's a moment of cultural exchange, hospitality, and gentle upheaval - offering a glimpse into how international visitors were received in England at the dawn of the Tudor age.