Wednesday, June 21, 2006
SUSSEX VIEWS PART 1. ARUNDEL
Last week I wrote about our visits to car boot sales.
Last Saturday we combined an early morning trip to the car boot sale at Ford, close to the Sussex coast with a look at our beautiful county.
Each time we go to the Ford boot sale we pass Arundel - the first glimpse of the castle in the early morning light is always a pleasure. But we don't choose to stop then, for we have bargain hunting on our minds.
Last Saturday we returned, after a morning at the boot sale, and took a little lane that branches off from the main road; we wondered just where it would lead us. The signpost points to Warningcamp and Burpham.
Within a few yards we could see that we had splendid views across the Arun valley to the town of Arundel.
The town, from this distance, looks for all the world like a medieval settlement by the river.And it is true that there has been a castle on this site since early medieval days, but during the Civil War in the 17th century it was badly damaged and left abandoned for about 150 years.
Towering over the town on the left of the picture is a cathedral in the Gothic style. It is a Roman Catholic Cathedral. It was built in the 19th century. It would have been even bigger but weak foundations prevented the erection of a huge tower and spire.
The castle also is in essence an 18th/19th building. Some of the very early stone work remains. The first attempts at restoration were in the late 1700s, but it was not until 1890 that a decision was made to rebuild a castle in the style of the 14th century.
The castle and much of the surrounding lands belong to the Duke of Norfolk. As a child I always wondered why the most important man in Sussex (for surely a Duke must be very important) should come from another part of the country - Norfolk being perhaps 200 miles away. No doubt the 1580 Duke of Norfolk won special favours from the king and was rewarded with his own castle at Arundel.
So, Arundel is basically an attractive Victorian town, growing quite rapidly with the development of the railways. It is a pleasant place to live or visit.And I still love the castle - even though I know it is not the genuine thing.
And now here is another view of the castle which we saw a little further along the lane to Burpham (which I will write about in the next blog entry).
Last Saturday we combined an early morning trip to the car boot sale at Ford, close to the Sussex coast with a look at our beautiful county.
Each time we go to the Ford boot sale we pass Arundel - the first glimpse of the castle in the early morning light is always a pleasure. But we don't choose to stop then, for we have bargain hunting on our minds.
Last Saturday we returned, after a morning at the boot sale, and took a little lane that branches off from the main road; we wondered just where it would lead us. The signpost points to Warningcamp and Burpham.
Within a few yards we could see that we had splendid views across the Arun valley to the town of Arundel.
The town, from this distance, looks for all the world like a medieval settlement by the river.And it is true that there has been a castle on this site since early medieval days, but during the Civil War in the 17th century it was badly damaged and left abandoned for about 150 years.
Towering over the town on the left of the picture is a cathedral in the Gothic style. It is a Roman Catholic Cathedral. It was built in the 19th century. It would have been even bigger but weak foundations prevented the erection of a huge tower and spire.
The castle also is in essence an 18th/19th building. Some of the very early stone work remains. The first attempts at restoration were in the late 1700s, but it was not until 1890 that a decision was made to rebuild a castle in the style of the 14th century.
The castle and much of the surrounding lands belong to the Duke of Norfolk. As a child I always wondered why the most important man in Sussex (for surely a Duke must be very important) should come from another part of the country - Norfolk being perhaps 200 miles away. No doubt the 1580 Duke of Norfolk won special favours from the king and was rewarded with his own castle at Arundel.
So, Arundel is basically an attractive Victorian town, growing quite rapidly with the development of the railways. It is a pleasant place to live or visit.And I still love the castle - even though I know it is not the genuine thing.
And now here is another view of the castle which we saw a little further along the lane to Burpham (which I will write about in the next blog entry).
