ARUNDEL CASTLE & GARDENS
Great West Sussex Castle of the Dukes of Norfolk
Arundel Castle is undoubtedly one of the great castles of England, rivaling the royal castle of Windsor in size and sumptuousness. It has been the home of the powerful Earls of Arundel and Dukes of Norfolk for almost 1,000 years. A castle was first founded on the spot on Christmas Day of 1067, the year following the Battle of Hastings, in the Norman conquest, Roger de Montgomery, was granted the lands consisting of almost a third of Sussex by William the Conqueror as reward for his loyal service, and to guard the mouth of the Arun River from assault on the southern counties. When Montgomery died, the castle returned to the crown under Henry I. The Plantagenet Henry II was responsible for the most of the current stone fortification of the castle in reconfirming the Earldom of Arundel on William d’Albini in 1155.
The castle at Arundel has passed through the family’s hands to the present day making it one of the longest continually inhabited houses in England and still the private home of the Duke of Norfolk. The title of the Duke of Norfolk was first conferred on Sir John Howard in 1483 by King Richard III for his support in the War of the Roses. The family are related to the kings and queens of England through common ancestors to Edward I (see Caernarvon Castle) and Edward III. The dukedom carries with it the office of Earl Marshal of England, making it the first rank of dukes, with responsibility for state occasions of coronations and funerals of the sovereigns.
The oldest part of the castle is the round Norman Keep, similar to both Windsor (see Windsor Castle) and York’s Clifford’s Tower, rising on a high artificial mound over a wide dry mote, with standing crenelated walls and medieval gatehouse remaining from the 13th Century. The residential portion of the castle is mostly a grand Gothic revival manor from the Victorian period when the castle apartments were almost completely rebuilt as one of the great architectural examples of the revival era of the 19th Century.
Headless Howards of Arundel
The most famous inhabitants of the castle were the Howards, from the 16th Century to the English Civil War. The 2nd Duke of Norfolk was the victor of the Battle of Flodden with the Scots in 1513. Lord Charles Howard, Baron of Effingham and the First Earl of Nottingham is credited along with Sir Francis Drake with repelling the Spanish Armada in 1588 as England’s Lord High Admiral (see Tower Museum Derry), and is also credited with convincing Queen Elizabeth to sign the death warrant of Mary Queen of Scots. Henry Howard, the Earl of Surrey, was the “Earl Poet”, beheaded in 1547 by Henry VIII for his connection to cousins Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, while his father, Thomas Howard, the 3rd Duke barely escaped execution because the king died the night before. The 4th Duke, another Thomas was beheaded by Elizabeth I, for trying to return Catholicism to England by a plan to marry Mary of Scotland and bring her to the throne and is buried at the Tower of London, one of its long history of the chopping block (see Tower of London).
Civil War and Queen Victoria
The castle at Arundel was severely damaged in the English Civil War when it was twice besieged, first taken by Royalists as a stronghold, then captured by the Parliamentarian army of Cromwell, under the command of William Waller in 1645. The castle remained a shadow of its former glory for 200 years and several generations with some repairs by the 8th and the 11th Dukes. Then, in 1846, Queen Victoria planned a visit with Prince Albert to see a portrait of the young queen which had been commissioned of the painter William Fowler by the 13th Duke. Special furniture for the bedroom and the library were ordered for the stay. The furniture was just the beginning of a restoration project mostly overseen by the 15th Duke, not completed until 1900, when the castle at Arundel was one of the first great English houses to be fitted with electric lighting and central heat.
As one of the grand houses of the English aristocracy, the interior of the castle residence is stunning and sumptuous with an extraordinary historic collection of furnishings dating from the Tudor and Elizabethan 16th Century, with rich mahogany wood paneling and intricate vaulted ceilings, medieval tapestries, and family portraits by the likes of Van Dyck, Gainsborough, Joshua Reynolds, and Giovanni Canaletto. The Library is reputed as one of the finest examples of Regency period design, and the Private Chapel is one of the best of the Catholic revival of the 19th Century in England.
Gardens of Arundel
The walled garden of Arundel is called the “Earl’s Garden", in honor of Thomas Howard, the 14th Earl of Arundel, known as the “Collector Earl”. The garden features oak Pagodas and Oberon’s Palace, inspired by Shakespeare, with water fountains and its unique floating crown, which seems to dance on jets of water. The upper terraces are Italianate in flavor with Tulips in spring and Agapanthus in summer, water by flowing rills like a river fall, while the lower terrace is more sub-tropical, planted with Palms, ferns and Banana Trees. The Rose Garden occupies a former medieval bowling green, and the Tropical Glass House is filled with exotic hot house flowers from around the world.
Fitzalen Chapel
The Fitzalan Chapel on the grounds, a stroll through the great trees is the burial place of many of the Earls and Dukes of the family residents of Arundel, consisting of a Gothic revival prayer chapel and the mausoleum of effigy tombs dating back to about 1630.
The Norman Keep
The great Norman round castle keep can be accessed from the residence portion of the castle and is well worth the climb of 131 steps for views from the Arun River to the sea coast, the surrounding dells which the castle guarded and the rooftops of the Arundel village.
Visiting Arundel Castle & Gardens
Arundel Castle is open Tuesdays to Sundays, and Bank Holidays from the last Saturday in March to the first Sunday in November, Closed Mondays except during August. The Castle Gardens, Grounds and Fitzalan Chapel are open from 10 am to 5 pm, the Keep and Restaurant close at 4:30 pm. The Castle Rooms are open from Noon to 5 pm, with last admission at 4 pm. Admission prices range depending on areas included. A Gold Plus Ticket which includes all public areas is£18 for adults £15.50 for Students and Seniors, £9 for Children 5-16, and a Family Ticket for £45. A Bronze Ticket with just the Fitzalan Chapel and Gardens is £9, with Gold and Silver in between. There is a restaurant and a casual café and gift shop.
Medieval Jousting Tournaments and other special events are held just off the grounds throughout the season with separate ticketing. Arundel Castle is located midway between Portsmouth and Brighton on the A27 motorway. There is rail service to Arundel Station from London Victoria Station and Gatwick Airport. © Bargain Travel Europe
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Arundel Castle
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