Arundel (England) - town in West Sussex, England

Arundel is a town in West Sussex in southeast England, with a population in 2021 of 3496. Its main attraction is the medieval castle.

Understand

Harhunedell is Old English for "valley of the horehound", the common mint plant. (The "hore" refers to its hoar-frosted appearance, not its breeding habits.) But this became garbled with arondelle the old French word for a swallow (nowadays hirondelle), and these appear on the town crest. The large bird on the town hall originally perched on the Swallow Brewery, long closed. According to the Domesday Book of 1086, the town had four burgesses, a mill and fishery, and the whole lot was worth £27.

Arundel is at the foot of the South Downs where the River Arun flows out, and until 1908 it had the lowest bridge on the river. The valley also created a route north through the Downs. So it was an obvious defensive position and there was already a castle by the early 11th century, which the Normans strengthened. The river is tidal for 25 miles and Arundel was a port until superseded by Littlehampton on the coast in the 19th century. Victorian industry largely passed the town by so its old centre was preserved, while the castle was re-fashioned into what the Middle Ages ought to have created if only they'd had makeover specialists and interior design consultants. It's nowadays the town's chief attraction.

Get in

Arundel railway station, Station Approach BN18 9PH, 50.848°, -0.546°. Trains run every 30 min from London Victoria, taking 90 min via Gatwick airport, Crawley, Horsham (where the train divides for Portsmouth) and Amberley (for museum), and continuing south to Barnham and Bognor Regis. Change at Barnham for frequent trains along the coast between Brighton, Chichester, Portsmouth and Southampton. Arundel station is a mile southeast of the village. It has a staffed ticket office and machines, toilets and a heated waiting room. Platform 1 towards London has step-free access. Platform 2 towards the coast can be reached step-free by a side-street. 2023-02-05

Stagecoach South Bus 9 runs hourly from Shoreham-by-Sea via Lancing, Worthing, Durrington, Angmering and Littlehampton to Arundel railway station and town.

Compass Bus 85 runs three times M-Sa from Chichester. There isn't a bus station in Arundel, the buses make multiple stops.

Arundel is on A27 the main coast road, which runs east to Worthing, Brighton and Hove, and west to Chichester, Portsmouth and Southampton.

A284 is the old London road, but from London you're better staying on A24 until it meets A27, then turn west.

Get around

Walk, the town is compact, although High Street is steep.

Taxis: Castle Cars are based at the railway station, tel +44 1903 884444. They're not very reliable.

See

• Arundel Castle, Arundel BN18 9AB (enter via Mill Rd by the museum), 50.8561°, -0.5536°, +44 1903 882173, visit@arundelcastle.org. Apr-Oct Tu-Su 10AM-5PM. Built from 1067, damaged after the Civil War but relentlessly rebuilt and re-imagined over the 19th century (when Queen Victoria stayed), this is a picturesque castle often used as a film and TV location. The courtyard hosts jousting, medieval combat and open-air Shakespeare. The extensive gardens were refurbished in 2020. Adult £27, child £11 2023-02-05
• Arundel Museum, Mill Road BN18 9PA, 50.8542°, -0.5520°, +44 1903 885866, office@arundelmuseum.org. Daily 10AM-4PM. Cramped but interesting display of local history from Roman times to the present, including clock-making, horse-racing, the railways and children's experiences. Adult £4.50, child £3.50 2023-02-05
• Blackfriars was a Dominican priory founded some time before 1253 and dissolved in 1538. All that remains is a few stumps of masonry next to the museum.
• Hiorne Tower 📍 is a folly within the parkland of the castle, although the folly here was by the builder rather than the landowner. In 1797 Frances Hiorne was pitching to re-build the castle, and erected this as a demonstration; he didn't get the contract and died two years later. Its modern fame is as the site of a TV skirmish between Dr Who and the Cyborgs.
• St Nicholas Church, London Road BN18 9AT, 50.8559°, -0.5573°, +44 1903 882262. M-Sa 8:30AM-5PM, Su noon-5PM. Anglican church built from 1380 in local flint and stone. It's on the castle grounds and adjoins their RC Fitzalan Chapel. 2023-02-05
• Arundel Cathedral (Cathedral Church of Our Lady and St Philip Howard), London Road BN18 9AY, 50.8552°, -0.5590°, +44 1903 882297. Daily 9:30AM-4PM. Completed in 1873 as a Roman Catholic parish church, and since 1965 a cathedral, seat of the RC Bishop of Arundel and Brighton. It's neo-Gothic and designed by Joseph Hansom (1803-1882), architect for over 200 churches as well as inventor of the Hansom cab. There is Mass Tu-Su and frequent concerts. Donation 2023-02-05
• Amberley Museum, Station Road, Amberley BN18 9LT (next to Amberley railway station), 50.8981°, -0.5396°, +44 1798 831370, office@amberleymuseum.co.uk. Mar-Oct: W-Su 10AM-4PM, Nov-Feb: W Sa Su 10AM-4PM. Industrial heritage centre around a disused chalk quarry and kilns, which produced lime for construction. It has a 1930s telephone exchange, vintage Southdown buses, narrow-gauge steam railway and traditional craftsmen. Adult £16, child £7.70 2023-02-06
• Bignor Roman Villa, Pulborough RH20 1PH, 50.9233°, -0.5948°, +44 1798 869259. Closed until April 2023. Villa from about 3rd century AD with extensive mosaics. 2023-02-05
• Slindon 📍 is an attractive hamlet four miles west of Arundel. The parkland estate just beyond it is managed by the National Trust and has walking trails, dogs welcome on leads.

Do

• Boat hire is available at the Riverside Cafe next to Arundel Museum.
• Arundel Lido, Queen Street BN18 9JG (just south of bridge), 50.8534°, -0.5514°, +44 1903 884772, manager@arundel-lido.com. May-mid-Sep: M-F noon-6PM, Sa Su noon-7PM. Heated outdoor 25m pool plus paddling pool. They also hold fitness sessions year-round. Non-member £6 2023-02-06
• WWT Arundel (Wetland Centre), Mill Road BN18 9PB, 50.8636°, -0.5516°, +44 1903 883355, info.arundel@wwt.org.uk. Nov-Mar: 9:30AM-4:30PM, Apr-Oct: 9:30AM-5:30PM. Wetland wildlife park with walks, talks and a variety of native and exotic species with a boat safari included. Suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs. Adult £14.45, child £7.80 2023-02-06
• Swanbourne Lake, Mill Rd BN18 9PA, 50.8619°, -0.5541°, +44 1903 884293. The Lodge tea room is open daily year-round in all weathers, but the thing to do here is to hire a rowing boat and plosh around the lake. Weather permitting these are available Apr-Sept, Sa Su in term-time and daily Jul-Aug. Small dogs permitted if they promise not to catch a crab. Boat £4 for 30 min 2023-02-06
• Chalk Springs Trout Fishery, Park Bottom BN18 0AA (off A27 roundabout), 50.8588°, -0.5699°, +44 1903 883742, enquiries@chalksprings.com. 8AM-dusk. Rainbow and brown trout fly fishery and farm in woodland valley, pre-booking recommended. The waters are chalk-filtered and clear so you can see the fish - and they can see you. No dogs. Two fish limit £40, three £50, four £60 2023-02-06
• Golf: there's a putting green on Mill Rd past the museum, open Apr-Sept. Avisford Park Hotel 3 miles west on A27 has an 18-hole course.
• Horse-racing: see Chichester#Do for Fontwell Park, a jumps racecourse five miles west on A27.

Buy

• Supermarket: Co-op Food is on Queen St just south of the river, open daily 6AM-10PM. Head south to Littlehampton for big stores.
• Art and antiques shops and galleries are dotted all over town.
• Nineveh Chapel, 31a Tarrant Street BN18 9NJ, +44 1903 882143. Daily 10AM-4:30PM. The early Victorian Trinity Chapel is now a marketplace for antique and other independent traders. 2023-02-05

Eat

Most eating places are along High Street, Tarrant Street and Queen Street.

• La Campania, 51 High Street BN18 9AJ (opposite Norfolk Arms), +44 1903 884500. M-F noon-2PM, 6PM-10PM, Sa noon-10PM, Su noon-9PM. Slick Italian with a good menu range. 2023-02-06
• Green and Coal is a stylish coffee shop at 5 Tarrant St behind La Campania, open daily 8:30AM-4:30PM.
• Motte & Bailey opposite Norfolk Arms does good lunches and gets busy.
• Thai Time, 61 High Street BN18 9AJ (uphill from Norfolk Arms), +44 1444 523424. Th-Sa, M Tu noon-10PM. Good Thai restaurant by the castle walls. 2023-02-06
• China Palace, 67 High Street BN18 9AJ (uphill from Norfolk Arms), +44 1903 883702. W-M noon-2PM, 5:30-10PM. This multi-level Chinese restaurant usually gets it right. 2023-02-05
• The Parson's Table, Tarrant St BN18 9DG, 50.8543°, -0.5557°, +44 1903 883477. Tu-Sa noon-2PM, 6PM-9PM. Fine dining in a chic setting, booking essential. 2023-02-05
• Butlers, 25 Tarrant St BN18 9DG (opposite Parson's Table), +44 1903 888822. W-Sa noon-2PM, 6PM-9PM, Su noon-5PM. Serves excellent British and European cuisine. 2023-02-06
• Juniper is a bakery and cafe at 37 Tarrant St between Nineveh Chapel and the Eagle Inn.
• The Black Rabbit, Mill Road BN18 9PB (north edge of Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust), 50.8667°, -0.5439°, +44 1903 882638, blackrabbit.arundel@hall-woodhouse.co.uk. Su-Th 10AM-9PM, F Sa 10AM-10PM. Pleasant pub and restaurant by the Arun, a good end to a riverside walk. 2023-02-06
• The George at Burpham, Main St, Burpham BN18 9RR, 50.8703°, -0.5240°, +44 1903 883131. M Tu 10AM-4PM, W-Sa 10AM-11PM, Su 10AM-8PM. Great place for pub lunches, dog-friendly. The village is on an old loop of the River Arun and has a Saxon church. Mervyn Peake (1911-1968) stayed hereabouts as he was writing Gormenghast. 2023-02-06
• The Pig in the South Downs, Madehurst BN18 0NL, 50.8853°, -0.6010°, +44 1243 974500. Daily noon-2:30PM, 6PM-9:30PM. The Pig are a small chain of restaurants with rooms. The dining is worth the extra miles to get here, the ingredients have travelled less. The rooms get mixed reviews, especially the hen cabin. B&B double £230 2023-02-06

Drink

• The Eagle, 41 Tarrant Street BN18 9DJ (50 yards west of Parson's Table), +44 1903 882304. Daily noon-midnight. Friendly pub with food, live music at weekends. 2023-02-05
• The Kings Arms, 36 Tarrant Street BN18 9DN, 50.8535°, -0.5576°, +44 1903 885569. M-Th 2-10PM, F-Su noon-11PM. Claims to be Arundel's oldest pub, from 1625. Traditional free house pub with real ales - no food but you're welcome to bring your own. 2023-02-05
• The Red Lion, 45 High Street BN18 9AG (opposite Norfolk Arms), +44 1903 882214. Su-F 11:30AM-11PM, Sa 10AM-midnight. Trad English pub with local food, ales and a beer garden 2023-02-05
• St Mary's Gate Inn, London Road BN18 9BA (next to cathedral), +44 1903 883145, stmarysgate@outlook.com. W-Su 11AM-11PM. A traditional pub with food and drink, plus a few B&B rooms. B&B double £150 2023-02-05
• White Hart, 12 Queen Street BN18 9JG (just south of bridge), +44 1903 884422. M-Sa noon-10PM, Su noon-8PM. Friendly place with real ale but no food. 2023-02-06
• Fauna Brewing is in the Old Engine Shed, off London Rd just west of the cathedral. Decent ale, the froth on your pint is from all their flapdoodle about how drinking this stuff will help save the planet. The taproom is a long-table affair like a beerhall, open Th F 3-10PM, Sa noon-10PM, Su 11AM-7PM.
• Arundel Brewery is on Ford industrial estate, no tours.
• Sussex wine: the South Downs are chalk soil suitable for vineyards. There are several further north, and The Pig at Madehurst (see above) plans to begin production in 2023.

Sleep

An Arundel Tomb

This poem by Philip Larkin (1922-85) describes a tomb in Chichester cathedral where recumbent effigies clasp hands, probably the 10th Earl of Arundel and his second wife. "The stone fidelity they hardly meant has come to be their final blazon . . " It's often cited as showing the enduring power of love, but as Larkin wrote on the manuscript, "Love isn't stronger than death just because statues hold hands for six hundred years".

• The Town House, 65 High St BN18 9AJ, +44 1903 883847. Restaurant with five rooms in a Regency town house gets great reviews for comfort and cuisine. Assistance dogs only. B&B double £120 2023-02-05
• The Norfolk Arms, High Street BN18 9AB, 50.8546°, -0.5541°, +44 1903 882101, reservations.norfolk@sjhotels.co.uk. Restaurant and bar with 33 rooms, comfy and central. Older rooms in the servants' attic are small, low-ceilinged and have no lift. B&B double £110 2023-02-05
• The Swan Hotel, 27-29 High Street BN18 9AG, 50.8538°, -0.5537°, +44 1903 882314, swanhotel.arundel@fullers.co.uk. Trad pub (Fullers) and restaurant with 14 rooms, good reviews. B&B double £90 2023-02-06
• Arden House B&B, 4 Queens Lane BN18 4JN, 50.8525°, -0.5521°, +44 1903 884184. Smart friendly guesthouse. B&B double £110 2023-02-05
• Arundel Park Hotel, The Causeway BN18 9JL (next to railway station), +44 1903 828588. Convenient budget hotel refurbished in 2020. B&B double £80 2023-02-05
• Premier Inn, Crossbush Lane, Crossbush BN18 9PQ, 50.8455°, -0.5397°, +44 333 777 3665. Budget chain hotel half a mile east of station, no air con but clean and value-for-money. B&B double £70 2023-02-05
• Comfort Inn, Crossbush BN17 7QQ (off A27), 50.8427°, -0.5427°, +44 1903 840840. Hotel with 53 en-suite rooms, clean and comfy though a bit dated. It shares a driveway with McDonalds, so you may get stuck in the queue for burgers. B&B double £90 2023-02-05
• Travelodge is 5 miles west on A27 towards Chichester, next to Fontwell Park racecourse.
• Amberley Castle, Church St, Amberley BN18 9LT, 50.9089°, -0.5405°, +44 1798 831992, info@amberleycastle.co.uk. The castle was built in the 12th century and was the residence of the bishops of Chichester. It was smashed up in the Civil War, restored in the 19th century and is now a plush hotel with 19 rooms. It's often used for wedding parties. B&B double £260 2023-02-05
• Old Railway Station, Station Rd, Petworth GU28 0JF, 50.9638°, -0.6204°, +44 1798 342346. All aboard! The railway station was built to take the Prince of Wales (the future Edward VII) to his amusements, and today two rooms are within the station and 8 in Pullman coaches (not suitable with impaired mobility). No children under 10 or dogs. B&B double £160 2023-02-05

Connect

As of Feb 2023, Arundel and its approach roads have 4G from EE, O2 and Vodafone, and 5G from Three.

Go next

• Littlehampton is a nearby port. Bognor Regis is better for seaside activities.
• Chichester was a Roman regional centre and has several museums and historic places.
• South Downs are the chalk uplands flanking the coast.