Arundel
The charming medieval town of Arundel lies at a central point of the South Downs and is dominated by its magnificent historic castle.
Arundel is a quaint town of narrow streets lined with Georgian and Mock Tudor town houses, which sweep down hill to the River Arun while the magnificent Castle keeps a watchful eye. A town of great charm, Arundel houses a number of curious antique shops tucked around its medieval nooks and crannies with historic shop fronts maintaining a timeless quality.
A climb up the hill brings you to Arundel Castle, the home of the Duke of Norfolk, England ’s foremost Catholic layman, for the past seven centuries. Throughout Tudor times the fortunes of the Norfolk’s varied. Two of the third Duke of Norfolk's nieces, Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard became Henry VIII 's wives. Though when Elizabeth I came to power, the Duke of Norfolk’s power was diminished.
Surrounded by castellated walls, this grey stoned Arundel Castle is a marvellous example of Victorian Gothic architecture, largely rebuilt in the late 1800s. The original Norman keep was built in the 12th Century and survived 750 years of battles and sieges although the lower bailey was destroyed in 1643 by Cromwell’s forces during the Civil War.
The Duke of Norfolk still lives in the Castle and the building is open to the public between April and October, each day except Saturday. A tour around the castle takes you through the old Norman Keep, overlooking the castle grounds and boasts fabulous views across the Downs from the top of the tower. The fine Victorian Rooms of the Baron’s Hall, Library and Drawing Room, house paintings from Gainsborough, Van Dyke, Mytens and Reynolds.
Another interesting feature of Arundel is the Fitzalan Chapel and the parish church of St Nicholas within the manicured grounds of the castle. Originally they were combined but when the Church became Anglican, the Duke of Norfolk maintained the Chapel as Roman Catholic for his family so that both denominations are actually worshipped under the same roof! This fourteenth century chapel also houses tombs of past Dukes of Norfolk.
