Following on from my previous post where the 12th Earl surrendered the collegiate chapel to King Henry VIII, subsequential purchasing it back and being required to provide an annual rent to the King :

The nave [of the church] continued as the parish church of Arundel. As the effects of the Reformation took hold the church was rapidly transformed from a temple to a school-room. Altars dedicated to the saints, statues, stained glass and wall paintings were all removed, smashed or painted over, and over time row upon row of pews filled the church.

During the Civil War (16-1651) the Roundheads hoisted cannon onto the church roof to bombard the Royalists holed up in the adjacent castle. They also used the church as their barracks and the Fitzalan Chapel to stable their horses.*

In the 19th century the Church of England rediscovered its catholic identity and a sense of the beauty of holiness once more entered our churches. In St Nicholas’ this led to the introduction of the high altar and reredos, choir stalls and stained glass windows. *

*From a Church of St Nicholas Arundel leaflet