Our route through Chichester to Arundel took us past one of our regular coffee stop locations at "The Old Well", Copythorne where we enjoyed good service before continuing to arrive at Arundel right on time at noon.
The Castle has a good restaurant but a few of us took advantage of the spacious grounds to enjoy a picnic in the shade and with a spectacular view of the massive battlements of this site, fortified since 1068.
This view of the castle was obtained after a visit to the Fitzalan Chapel, within the grounds of the Arundel estate and the home of the ancient tombs of the Norfolk family, a Roman Catholic chapel attached to, but segregated from the Protestant Parish Church.
The oldest feature is the motte, an artificial mound, over 100 feet high from the ditch, and constructed in 1068. During the 12th century, the Keep was constructed of Caen stone. Some of the fireplaces have survived and under the floor in the centre is a storeroom for provisions in case of a siege. The staircase to the wall walk gives magnificent views of the coast, the town, and the Cathedral. It was good to see so many PANTM members enjoying this view inspite of the dire warnings of the rigours of this climb to the ramparts. The adjacent Parish church and the Roman Catholic cathedral were visited later in the day by those who could face the further climb to the highest elevations of the town.
The tour of the house revealed many great paintings and architectural features which are well described in the article presented in the Heritage Trail collection of websites.
Here is the view of the backdoor of the castle which provided access further up the High Street to the Parish Church and the cathedral.
This view of the Cathedral is part of their website which is well worth a visit to establish the connection between the church and the Norfolk dynasty.
This was one of the hottest days of our summer and the cooling breeze off the river Arun was much appreciated.
The dominating skyline of the castle was our view at the point of our departure after a very rewarding day.