Arundel Castle from the Rose Garden

After breakfast we made our way to Arundel in order to visit the castle. The lady who sold us our tickets helped us choose the most economical way to purchase tickets given that we were able to claim discounts. She advised us to visit the gardens first and then make our way to the shop where we should upgrade our tickets to include the castle interior. The rose and walled gardens, with their fountains, were spectacular and at their best.

The Fitzalan Chapel

We also visited the Fitzalan Chapel which is the Eastern end of a church building. This is divided by glass from the Southern end which is home to the Parish Church. This is one of very few churches that is currently divided in this way, Catholic in one half and Anglican in the other.

Arundel Castle Keep

After upgrading our ticket we had lunch. Our next port of call was the castle keep which is the oldest part of the castle. As we got higher up the castle keep this caused me a problem due to the narrowness of the spiral staircase. I was struggling to balance whilst holding my bag and camera out of the way. Eventually I made it and the views were worth the struggle.

Before we descended via another spiral staircase Mr C put my bag in his rucksack. Ironically this staircase was wider that the staircase on the way up.

Arundel Castle Library

The rooms in the castle were full of interesting treasures and history and the rooms guides ready to impart additional information and answer questions. The library which had at one time been the long gallery was spectacular.

Before leaving the castle we had another drink in the cafe and I purchased guide books about the castle and chapel. As I was making the purchase the lady who served me was pleased that I was buying ‘The Arundel Church with the Fitzalan Chapel’ guide because she was featured in a couple of the photographs. I asked her to point the photo out to me; it is one of her singing in the Church Choir which led to us having a conversation about choral singing.

Home for Ducks

Whilst leaving the castle we met the lady who had sold us our entry ticket earlier in the day. She remembered us and asked  if we had enjoyed our day and whether we were staying in the area. She asked what other things we planned to visit before offering some suggestions of her own to add to our list. She told us about a lake with walks just beyond the castle and also a Wildlife and Wetlands Trust (WWT) reserve .

We had a short amount of time to spare so we went to investigate. We weren’t in the mood for the lake so we went to investigate the WWT reserve when Mr C rather rashly paid to go in even though we only intended on spending half an hour there.

The visit was very enjoyable and we saw many species of ducks and geese, several of which Mr C had not seen before. Unfortunately I had left my hat in the car so needed to seek out shady places to cool off whilst enjoying the lake views.

Canon Lane

For our evening meal we dined al fresco in Purchases Restaurant which had a continental feel to it. Once again the food was delicious. After the meal Mr C took me into Wetherspoons for a nightcap before returning to the B&B. The noisy atmosphere was quite a contrast to the lovely ambience of the restaurant and there was a miscommunication on what wine was available. It was another venue to strike off our list of return visits ;-)

8 Comments CherryPie on Jul 11th 2018

8 Responses to “Kent & Chichester Day Five”

  1. Hels says:

    Long Galleries were normally too long and too narrow to be converted into a library. Especially in a castle which tends to “fortified”, not “cultured”. But the library here looks truly lovely.

    • CherryPie says:

      This space has has several alcoves including some with a fireplace. The length of the gallery has been obscured by draped curtains. There are lots of cosy places to sit and enjoy the books from the library.

  2. Such a lovely place!

    >the most economical way to purchase tickets
    Ha ha.. Tell me about it!
    The train tickets in Britain are not the easiest things to buy.

  3. I was a boy when I last visited Arundel Castle. Of course, it’s on the list to return – and Arundel does look so good, perched on the hill while you whizz (or crawl) by on the A27. Actually, the only thing I remember about it is feeling the weight of chain mail in the armoury. So, your tour was doubly interesting and the photos are great. Miscommunication in a Wetherspoon is a risk one takes – but it’s one of those brands that generally does what it says on the tin! You’re right about train tickets too…

    • CherryPie says:

      I recommend you visit, you will find lots of fascinating history to interest you. We stayed there far longer than we expected.

      This Weatherspoon was frequented by the students. Need I say more ;-)

  4. I went to Arundel too :)
    But I didn’t see the castle, went to see their big cathedral instead.
    Then, off to Littlehampton.

    • CherryPie says:

      We enjoyed the Castle the Cathedral and the Parish Church :-)

      Any lover of history and art will find the the Castle well worth the entry fee. Being allowed to visit is a gift :-)