Arundel, West Sussex

Last September I visited Arundel in West Sussex for three nights – my main aim was to visit the castle but I also wanted to visit the cathedral and the Wetland Centre, all of which will feature in their own posts. I found Arundel to be a really pleasant market town with lots of independent shops and cafes that were reasonably priced. The train journey from Nottingham was quite long, requiring a change in London that lead to a bit of a mad dash via tube but all in all the trains worked well and I was blessed with glorious sunshine for the whole time I was away.

The walk from the train station was a pleasant one, though you do have to cross a busy road (and for a small town traffic could be quite intense at times). My hotel was very comfortable and well located right in the centre of the town, a simple 15 minutes from the station and over the bridge that spans the River Arun.

The name Arundel comes from the Old English Harhunedell which means “valley of the horehound” which is a kind of flower. It’s also said to be formed from the Old French word arondelle meaning “swallow” and as such there are swallows on the town’s coat of arms – as you can see at the top of this memorial to Bernard, Duke of Norfolk who died in 1975.

The River Arun was a very pleasant place to sit and observe the wildlife, particularly as there was such good weather while I was there, hitting over 26C at one point.

Just by the River are also these ruins, currently protected behind some metal barriers. They are all that remain of Blackfriars, a Dominican priory which was founded in the late 13th century. The Friary was dissolved in 1538 and its buildings converted to other uses such as a timber yard of all things.

I stayed in The Town House which was great. Extremely friendly and helpful staff, a large quiet room and delicious homemade Rocky Road brownies as well as the usual coffee and tea supplies. Centrally located in Arundel everything you might need is in walking distance.

They were having a few kitchen staffing issues so I only ate breakfast there once (excellent) but this meant I got to sample the delicious breakfasts at nearby Motte & Bailey Cafe (and got reimbursed by the hotel which had breakfast included in the price). As you know I’m not one for taking photos of my food when I travel but I did take a few this time.

The High Street (pretty hilly) takes you up from the River Arun and the Market Square and has old coaching inns, antique shops, book shops (I was very tempted by a first edition Agatha Christie), and old timber buildings.

One pretty little area was the Grade 2 listed shopping arcade in the Old Print Works. The building was originally the base of the West Sussex Gazette in the 1800s.

In the near centre of the town a monument with this interesting plaque.

It’s a lovely town, really pleasant to wander around and as you’ll see in upcoming posts, plenty to keep you busy for a few days.