Arundel Castle

Arundel Castle [ærəndəl or in local pronunciation ɑːndəl] is a castle in the village of Arundel in the county of West Sussex. The name Arundel is composed of the name of the river Arun and the Old English word del (river). The river flows through the South Downs near the south coast of England.

Arundel Castle is one of the best preserved medieval castles and one of the most impressive castles in Britain. Arundel Castle was built in the 11th century in the time of Edward the Confessor in typical fortress style with battlements and drawbridges and completed under Roger de Montgomerie, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury. From 1141 to the present day it has been the stately seat of the Earl of Arundel, who has also held the title of Dukes of Norfolk since 1660. The castle was damaged in the English Civil War and restored in the 18th and 19th centuries. The 16th Duke had planned to give the castle to the National Trust, but after his death in 1975, the 17th Duke cancelled this plan. In its place, he set up an independent charitable trust to secure the castle's future and oversaw the restoration work.

Most of the castle can be visited for an entrance fee. The only exceptions are the private rooms. There are also regular events, preferably medieval jousting tournaments but also open air theatre performances.

Castle and park

Originally, the castle was built as an earthen mound castle on a motte and was intended to protect the river mouth against invaders. Over the centuries it was extended into a castle and rebuilt several times. Within Arundel Castle is the FitzAlan Chapel, originally part of the complex, which is now a private mausoleum and used as a burial place for the Dukes of Norfolk.

The horseshoe-shaped building complex is built on top of a hill, giving a view of the gardens surrounding the castle, which cover 40 hectares and include some old cork and ginkgo trees, themed gardens and the Victorian greenhouse.

In the place of the lower outer castle there is a quadrangle with towers and chimneys. In the castle, the Barons' Hall represents the core of the premises. It is 40 metres long, 15 metres high and characterised by a massive oak ceiling. The interior displays a rich and varied collection of furniture, paintings, tapestries and valuable artefacts of the Victorian period. The armoury contains martial and ceremonial weapons. The "small drawing room" contains landscape paintings and portraits by Canaletto. The Salon's heraldic fireplace and the white and gold furniture of the Victoria Room were specially commissioned for a royal visit in 1846. The suite in which Victoria lived is now part of the family's private apartments, but the furniture has been made available to the public. Items on display include the Queen's bed, the guest book with significant signatures, and her toilet. In addition to the picture gallery and the 37-metre-long Regency library made of mahogany with around 10,000 books, the magnificent dining room with its lancet windows reminiscent of a chapel is impressive. This room is located in the former medieval chapel and is furnished with fine furniture, cutlery and memorabilia - in particular Queen Victoria's coronation homage chair and a glass case containing, among other things, the rosary beads that Mary Stuart wore on her belt at her execution.

The southern passage is an oval keep with a curtain wall, part of the inner gatehouse and several towers.