Arundel Castle and Gardens

The original castle was founded on Christmas day 1067 by Roger de Montgomery, Earl of Arundel, one of William the Conqueror's most loyal barons. He was awarded a third of Sussex with the stipulation that a new castle be built near the mouth of the Arun River to protect the approaches to Sussex from attack.

Today it is one of the longest inhabited country houses in England. Many of the original features such as the crenellated Norman keep, gatehouse and Barbican and lower part of Bevis Tower survive to this day. Between 1870 and 1890 the house was almost completely rebuilt and the magnificent architecture in Gothic style is considered to be one of the great works of Victorian England.

In 2009 the Castle was used to film THE YOUNG VICTORIA, starring Emily Blunt.

The Castle gardens are magnificent, the above picture shows the centre court of the castle which is not open to tourists and this is where the current Duke and Duchess resides.

The 14'th century Fitzalan Chapel which are on the grounds of the castle is the burial place of the Dukes of Norfolk and their ancestors. It was founded on the feast of Corpus Christi in 1380 by Richard, 4th Earl of Arundel, as a collegiate chapel served by secular canons. In the reign of Henry VIII the college was dissolved and the chapel and other buildings were sold to the family and it has been the private property of the Dukes of Norfolk ever since.

In 1879 an action heard before Lord Chief Justice Coleridge determined that the Fitzalan Chapel did not form part of the parish church but was an independent ecclesiastical structure. The chapel has therefore remained Catholic, an unusual anomaly in England. It is dedicated to the Holy Trinity, Blessed Virgin Mary and All Saints.

The parish church is dedicated to St. Nicholas and stands right behind the Castle gardens.

The Chapel is still used as the burial place of the Dukes of Norfolk and several masses are said here every year for the repose of their souls in accordance with the intention of the founder in the 14th century. The major artistic interest of the Fitzalan Chapel lies in the tombs of the Earls of Arundel and Dukes of Norfolk which form one of the finest assemblages of their kind in England.

The grounds have different themed gardens, the rose garden planted in contemporary style, the Chapel garden with white and cool coloured plants, the cutting garden with tender perennials and rare plants and then the renovated Victorian peach house and vinery where exotic fruits and vegetables are cultivated.

The Castle is built with these fabulous rock walls. 

How big are the leaves!!!

A picture postcard view.