Facts about Arundel in Sussex

Arundel is both a market town and a civil parish and it is located in the South Downs area of West Sussex within the Southern region of England. It is 79 kilometers South Southwest of London proper and it is 29 kilometers West of Brighton. Worthington, Littlehampton and Bognor Regis are neighboring towns to Arundel and the river Arun flows through the Western part of town. During the Municipal Reform Act of 1835, Arundel was one of the boroughs reformed and in 1974; it became a portion of the Arun district. Nobody seems to really know the true meaning of the name Arundel, though there are many theories. One such theory is that the upper reaches of the Arun was once known as Arnus which would be from the Brythonic word ‘Arno' which means run or go. So if this theory is correct, Arundel would mean Arno-del or the dell of the flowing river. The civil parish of Arundel covers approximately 1,227 hectares and it has a population of over 3400 people.

The town of Arundel is a major bridging point over the River Arun, it was considered to be the lowest road bridge until the construction of the swing bridge in Littlehampton in 1908. Arundel Castle was constructed by the Normans in order to protect what they considered to be a point of vulnerability. Later, the town grew up on the slope below the castle and to the south. Before the town was built, the river was known as Tarrant, after the town existed, the river was renamed after it. The Monarch's Way long distance footpath passes through town and crosses the river at the bridging point. The town also is big enough to support the Arundel Railway Station which is on the Arun Valley Line. Arundel sits North of the A27 road as the road narrowly misses the town centre by a congested single carriageway bypass. Thee have been plans for a High Quality Dual Carriageway or HQDC for a multitude of years but the plans have scheduled and rescheduled and are currently off the books for now, even though a junction was built at Crossbush in anticipation of it.

Arundel Cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of Arundel and Brighton. The Cathedral was dedicated in 1873 as a Catholic parish church of Arundel, it did not receive the designation of cathedral unti the foundation of the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton in 1965. The Cathedral is tied to the Castle in that the design, construction and dedication of the cathedral owes much to the Howard Family, they are Dukes of Norfolk and Earls of Arundel and are the most prominent English Catholic Family, they rank first below the royal family. Arundel Castle has been the seat of the Howard family since 1102. In 1664, by the Conventicle Act, all churches and cathedrals in England were transferred to the Church of England and they stayed in that ownership until the Catholic Emancipation Act of 1829. In 1868, Henry Fitzalan-Howard, 15th Duke of Norfolk commissioned an architect to design a new Roman Catholic sactuary that would be a suitable counterpart to the Arundel Castle. Therefore the architectural style of the cathedral is French Gothic. The church was originally dedicated to Our Lady and St Philip Neri, however in 1971, following the Canonization of Philip Howard, 20th Earl of Arundel, along with the reburial of his relics in the Cathedral, the dedication was changed to Our Lady St. Philip Howard.

This article was written by Tom Sangers on behalf of Flackley Ash Hotel and Restaurant, an East Sussex hotel who offer Rye holidays.