Built to the same plan and time as Windsor Castle, Arundel Castle is England’s second largest castle and one of the longest continuously inhabited houses in Britain. It is the family seat of the Dukes of Norfolk and their ancestors (through the female line) have lived here since 1138. Many of them are buried in the Fitzalan Chapel.
During the C18th and C19th the castle was restored and rebuilt making it one of the largest and grandest Victorian houses in England, while still preserving much of its Norman origins.
It has had a long and interesting history, developing from a defensive site to an impressive and comfortable stately home. It has also be open to the public for over 200 years. It was also the first historic family house to establish a charitable trust to preserve the building and content - a scheme that has been copied by many others since.
The castle occupies a defensive site on a prominent hill in West Sussex, overlooking the River Arun and the South Downs. and dominates the surrounding countryside and town that grew up below it.
The first castle was built on the orders of William the Conqueror in an attempt to guard the area against the French invasion and to protect the River Arun.
The castle was founded in 1067 by Roger de Montgomery, Earl of Arundel, a kinsman of William I’s most loyal barons. He was awarded large areas of Sussex with the stipulation that a new castle be built near the mouth of the Arun to protect Sussex from attack. Roger de Montgomery’s original foundation consisted of a motte with a wooden palisade on top and surrounded by a dry ditch and two baileys. A stone gatehouse with a portcullis was added in 1070, with the stone being brought by water.
Between 1101 and 1102 the castle was besieged by the forces of Henry I after Robert of Bellême (Roger of Montgomery’s eldest son) rebelled against the king. The siege ended with the castle surrendering to the king. Robert was banished and the castle and all his lands were confiscated by the crown.
On the death of Henry I, the castle was granted to his second wife, Adeliza of Louvain. She later married William d'Aubigny, who had been chief butler to William I. He became the first earl of Sussex and apparently his grand marriage rather went to his head and he was responsible for building the stone shell keep on top of the motte around 1140 and began to surround the castle with a curtain wall.The rest of the castle buildings were still made of timber.
Henry II was responsible for building a new domestic range with a great hall, bedchamber and chapel along the southern wall. The vaulted undercroft still remains and the upper walls form the shell of the present drawing room. The chapel became part of the dining room.
The castle passed down the d'Aubigny line until the death of Hugh d'Aubigny, 5th Earl of Arundel in 1243, when it passed to his nephew, John Fitzalan whose father had married the Hugh’s sister. (Hugh’s widow survived for another 40 years, drawing a substantial dowry form the d’Albini lands)
His son, Richard Fitzalan, married Alicia who was a kinswoman of Edward I. Richard had fought alongside Edward in Scotland and was created the first Earl of Arundel in 1289. Using money from the taxes on fairs granted by Edward I, Richard began improvements at Arundel. He completed the curtain wall, reconstructed the north bailey postern gate as the Bevis Tower and built the Well Tower. He also added a barbican in front of the Norman gateway. As well as improving the defences to the castle, this also provided accommodation for the Constable of the Castle. The upper two floors formed self contained accommodation with central hall, two smaller chambers and a gardrobe. (These still remain the best preserved medieval interiors.)
The second Earl got caught up in the struggle between Edward II and his Queen and was beheaded. The castle again reverted to the crown before being restored to his son, Richard the third Earl. He was very wealthy, rapidly becoming the richest man in England. He continued the building work begun by his grandfather by adding a new range with a massive great hall and domestic buildings in the south bailey. His son, the fourth Earl continued the building work and completed the chapel started by his father, turning it into the collegiate church of St Nicholas with a chantry chapel. The nave and transepts served as the parish church. The chancel, now known as the Fitzalan Chapel, became the chantry chapel.
The 4th Earl, another Richard, fell out with Richard II and was tried and beheaded for treason, with the castle again reverting to the crown. However, when Henry IV seized the throne from Richard II, he returned the castle to Thomas, son of the 4th Earl. Thomas was the first to be buried in his father’s chapel, in front of the altar along with his wife Beartrice.
Thomas died of dysentery when fighting in France with Henry V. Not leaving a son, the inheritance passed through the female line through his sister who married Thomas Mowbray, Duke of Norfolk.
The 12th Earl succeeded in saving the Fizalan chapel from destruction when he succeeded in buying it back along with the college for 1000 marks in 1544, just before Henry VIII passed an act abolishing chantries. The Fitzalan chapel has been the private property of the Dukes of Norfolk although the remainder of the building still serves as the parish church.
The 12th Earl only had two daughters. Mary had married Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk and the castle passed to their son Philip, and his heirs. A complete inventory of the castle was drawn up in 1580s. This is now preserved in the British Library and gives a clear picture of the castle before its partial destruction in the Civil War.
Philip was tried for treason at the time of the Armada and condemned to death. Although Elizabeth never signed his death warrant, he died in the Tower of London. His son, another Thomas Howard grew up in straightened circumstances although he regained favour under James I. He married a wealthy heiress and kept the castle and Fitzalan Chapel in a reasonable state of repair, although he rarely visited He also obtained an Act of Parliament in 1627 entailing the castle and lands to the Howard family in perpetuity.
Known as the Collector Earl, he owned over 700 paintings, along with sculptures, drawings and books on his death. These included works by including works by Van Dyck, Gainsborough, Reynolds and Canaletto. His collection was dispersed to Oxford University, the Royal Society and eventually to the British Museum and Library.
At the start of the English Civil War, Thomas travelled to the Netherlands and on to Italy. He never returned to England.
The castle was besieged twice, first by the Royalists and then by the Parliamentarians. They ordered the castle to be slighted to prevent further use. The great hall and part of the curtain wall were destroyed.
The Howards were reinstated as Dukes of Norfolk by Charles II at his Restoration, but did not live in the castle. Occasional repairs were undertaken but much of the castle remained in ruins.
In the early C18th, Thomas the 8th Duke of Norfolk considered completely rebuilding the castle as a grand new house, but in the end just patched up part of the ruins to use when he visited to oversee the running of the estate. The Duke maintained a priest at Arundel and the chapel was brought back into use by the family and other local Catholics.
Although the Howards continued to be buried in the Fitzalan Chapel, Arundel Castle became very much a subsidiary home and used to store items no longer fashionable or wanted in their main residences.
It was the 10th Duke who was responsible for the revival of Arundel Castle in the late C18th as the main seat after 200 years of neglect. He was responsible for creating the present park but little work was started on the castle before his death. This was probably as well as his plans had involved demolishing nearly all the buildings, leaving just the keep and building a what he described as a ‘proper country house’ in its place.
The 11th Duke began rebuilding the existing residential part of the castle and created the present park. Again work was incomplete at his death in 1815. Many of the rooms were unfinished and unfurnished. Only the library survives as his work.
The park was freely open to the public from 1790 and the 11th Duke was responsible for opening the keep, gatehouse and grounds to the public from 1800 and the main rooms one day a week.
The first guide book was printed in 1817.
The 12th Duke did not live at Arundel and it was the 13th Duke who moved back into the castle and began a complete redecoration and refurbishing. This was completed in time for a three day visit by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1846, when they used a suite of six rooms on the second floor of the south-east range. (The Duke had been given two years notice to make sure the castle was ready for their arrival.) The Duke and Duchess also threw a series of large and extravagant house parties.
Henry, the 15th Duke of Norfolk embarked on a massive building programme between 1870-90, which included building a new Catholic church in Arundel. This meant the house was closed to the public, although the grounds, gardens and keep were still open. The total cost came to over half a million pounds.
He commissioned the Catholic architect, Charles Alban Buckler as he wanted to provide employment for other Catholics. Buckler was deeply religious and devoted to the study of medieval art and liturgy, adding a medieval glamour to his work. His work was well built and designed to require little maintenance. To prevent corrosion, gun metal rather than iron was used for windows. His work incorporate C12th remains as well as the incomplete work done by the 11th Duke. Only the west wing with a new kitchen block, the chapel and Baron’s Hall was completely rebuilt.
While retaining a stunning Gothic appearance reminiscent of the C13th, the interior had every modern convenience available. It was the first country house to be built with electric lighting, with a generator house on the estate. This also powered electric bells and the service lifts. There was a sophisticated plumbing system fed by water from Swanbourne Lake. The main bedrooms had their own bathroom and nearly all the bedrooms had their own water closet. The gravity fed domestic water supply also supplied the town. Central heating was provided with coal fired boilers and primitive radiators. The castle also had its integral fire fighting equipment with a fire engine and fire hydrants with hose attached in the castle itself. There were also fire alarm bells.
The Duke also refurnished most of the interior, with many C16-18th pieces from Europe. Many came from antiquarian collections which were being dispersed as no longer fashionable.
The Duke as keen to preserve what remained of the Norman Castle. and pains were taken not to damage any ancient features. There was great excitement when Henry II’s blocked windows in what was the Drawing Room were uncovered. The Norman Gateway again became the main entrance to the castle. The Norman Keep and curtain walls with its towers were restored.
On completion, the 15th Duke reopened the main rooms once a week. Any profits were divided between Chichester Infirmary, Brighton County Hospital, Brighton Eye Hospital, St Philip’s Club and the Victoria Institute.
Life in the Castle continued into the 1930s much as it had done before the First world War. Concerts and events were regularly held to raise money for good causes.
The C17th Duke added a stables to the estate as well a a tennis court and swimming pool.
The onset of the Second World War stopped plans for any further improvements. With its close proximity to possible German landing sites, many soldiers were deployed to defend the town. Many of the soldiers camped out in the Castle Park, although senior commanders lived in Arundel Castle and The Norfolk Arms Hotel. The main control centre was in the old jail under the Town Hall. The Keep was an important lookout post for coastal defences. Guns were placed on earthworks to the north of the castle. If there was an invasion, everyone would be taken into the castle grounds for safety.
The family occupied rooms in the south range while the rest of the castle was occupied by troops. The Baron’s Hall used to entertain the troops with dances, concerts and shows.
The castle reopened to the public in 1947 although many of the rooms in the east wing were used for storage.
The 16th Duke had planned to give the castle to the National Trust but following his death in 1975 the 17th Duke cancelled the plan. He created an independent charitable trust to guarantee the castle's future and preserve the castle and its contents. Substantial repairs were carried out between 1976-7 especially to the roof of the dining room and Baron’s Hall.
There have been further alterations and improvements since then. The most important Georgian furniture and best paintings come from the family home, Norfolk House, in London. The Victorian character of the interior has been restored with displays from the family collections along with a restaurant, and shop.
The east wing is now a self contained family home.
Website
Plan of the grounds
Plan of the castle
cont...
During the C18th and C19th the castle was restored and rebuilt making it one of the largest and grandest Victorian houses in England, while still preserving much of its Norman origins.
It has had a long and interesting history, developing from a defensive site to an impressive and comfortable stately home. It has also be open to the public for over 200 years. It was also the first historic family house to establish a charitable trust to preserve the building and content - a scheme that has been copied by many others since.
The castle occupies a defensive site on a prominent hill in West Sussex, overlooking the River Arun and the South Downs. and dominates the surrounding countryside and town that grew up below it.
The first castle was built on the orders of William the Conqueror in an attempt to guard the area against the French invasion and to protect the River Arun.
The castle was founded in 1067 by Roger de Montgomery, Earl of Arundel, a kinsman of William I’s most loyal barons. He was awarded large areas of Sussex with the stipulation that a new castle be built near the mouth of the Arun to protect Sussex from attack. Roger de Montgomery’s original foundation consisted of a motte with a wooden palisade on top and surrounded by a dry ditch and two baileys. A stone gatehouse with a portcullis was added in 1070, with the stone being brought by water.
Between 1101 and 1102 the castle was besieged by the forces of Henry I after Robert of Bellême (Roger of Montgomery’s eldest son) rebelled against the king. The siege ended with the castle surrendering to the king. Robert was banished and the castle and all his lands were confiscated by the crown.
On the death of Henry I, the castle was granted to his second wife, Adeliza of Louvain. She later married William d'Aubigny, who had been chief butler to William I. He became the first earl of Sussex and apparently his grand marriage rather went to his head and he was responsible for building the stone shell keep on top of the motte around 1140 and began to surround the castle with a curtain wall.The rest of the castle buildings were still made of timber.
Henry II was responsible for building a new domestic range with a great hall, bedchamber and chapel along the southern wall. The vaulted undercroft still remains and the upper walls form the shell of the present drawing room. The chapel became part of the dining room.
The castle passed down the d'Aubigny line until the death of Hugh d'Aubigny, 5th Earl of Arundel in 1243, when it passed to his nephew, John Fitzalan whose father had married the Hugh’s sister. (Hugh’s widow survived for another 40 years, drawing a substantial dowry form the d’Albini lands)
His son, Richard Fitzalan, married Alicia who was a kinswoman of Edward I. Richard had fought alongside Edward in Scotland and was created the first Earl of Arundel in 1289. Using money from the taxes on fairs granted by Edward I, Richard began improvements at Arundel. He completed the curtain wall, reconstructed the north bailey postern gate as the Bevis Tower and built the Well Tower. He also added a barbican in front of the Norman gateway. As well as improving the defences to the castle, this also provided accommodation for the Constable of the Castle. The upper two floors formed self contained accommodation with central hall, two smaller chambers and a gardrobe. (These still remain the best preserved medieval interiors.)
The second Earl got caught up in the struggle between Edward II and his Queen and was beheaded. The castle again reverted to the crown before being restored to his son, Richard the third Earl. He was very wealthy, rapidly becoming the richest man in England. He continued the building work begun by his grandfather by adding a new range with a massive great hall and domestic buildings in the south bailey. His son, the fourth Earl continued the building work and completed the chapel started by his father, turning it into the collegiate church of St Nicholas with a chantry chapel. The nave and transepts served as the parish church. The chancel, now known as the Fitzalan Chapel, became the chantry chapel.
The 4th Earl, another Richard, fell out with Richard II and was tried and beheaded for treason, with the castle again reverting to the crown. However, when Henry IV seized the throne from Richard II, he returned the castle to Thomas, son of the 4th Earl. Thomas was the first to be buried in his father’s chapel, in front of the altar along with his wife Beartrice.
Thomas died of dysentery when fighting in France with Henry V. Not leaving a son, the inheritance passed through the female line through his sister who married Thomas Mowbray, Duke of Norfolk.
The 12th Earl succeeded in saving the Fizalan chapel from destruction when he succeeded in buying it back along with the college for 1000 marks in 1544, just before Henry VIII passed an act abolishing chantries. The Fitzalan chapel has been the private property of the Dukes of Norfolk although the remainder of the building still serves as the parish church.
The 12th Earl only had two daughters. Mary had married Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk and the castle passed to their son Philip, and his heirs. A complete inventory of the castle was drawn up in 1580s. This is now preserved in the British Library and gives a clear picture of the castle before its partial destruction in the Civil War.
Philip was tried for treason at the time of the Armada and condemned to death. Although Elizabeth never signed his death warrant, he died in the Tower of London. His son, another Thomas Howard grew up in straightened circumstances although he regained favour under James I. He married a wealthy heiress and kept the castle and Fitzalan Chapel in a reasonable state of repair, although he rarely visited He also obtained an Act of Parliament in 1627 entailing the castle and lands to the Howard family in perpetuity.
Known as the Collector Earl, he owned over 700 paintings, along with sculptures, drawings and books on his death. These included works by including works by Van Dyck, Gainsborough, Reynolds and Canaletto. His collection was dispersed to Oxford University, the Royal Society and eventually to the British Museum and Library.
At the start of the English Civil War, Thomas travelled to the Netherlands and on to Italy. He never returned to England.
The castle was besieged twice, first by the Royalists and then by the Parliamentarians. They ordered the castle to be slighted to prevent further use. The great hall and part of the curtain wall were destroyed.
The Howards were reinstated as Dukes of Norfolk by Charles II at his Restoration, but did not live in the castle. Occasional repairs were undertaken but much of the castle remained in ruins.
In the early C18th, Thomas the 8th Duke of Norfolk considered completely rebuilding the castle as a grand new house, but in the end just patched up part of the ruins to use when he visited to oversee the running of the estate. The Duke maintained a priest at Arundel and the chapel was brought back into use by the family and other local Catholics.
Although the Howards continued to be buried in the Fitzalan Chapel, Arundel Castle became very much a subsidiary home and used to store items no longer fashionable or wanted in their main residences.
It was the 10th Duke who was responsible for the revival of Arundel Castle in the late C18th as the main seat after 200 years of neglect. He was responsible for creating the present park but little work was started on the castle before his death. This was probably as well as his plans had involved demolishing nearly all the buildings, leaving just the keep and building a what he described as a ‘proper country house’ in its place.
The 11th Duke began rebuilding the existing residential part of the castle and created the present park. Again work was incomplete at his death in 1815. Many of the rooms were unfinished and unfurnished. Only the library survives as his work.
The park was freely open to the public from 1790 and the 11th Duke was responsible for opening the keep, gatehouse and grounds to the public from 1800 and the main rooms one day a week.
The first guide book was printed in 1817.
The 12th Duke did not live at Arundel and it was the 13th Duke who moved back into the castle and began a complete redecoration and refurbishing. This was completed in time for a three day visit by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1846, when they used a suite of six rooms on the second floor of the south-east range. (The Duke had been given two years notice to make sure the castle was ready for their arrival.) The Duke and Duchess also threw a series of large and extravagant house parties.
Henry, the 15th Duke of Norfolk embarked on a massive building programme between 1870-90, which included building a new Catholic church in Arundel. This meant the house was closed to the public, although the grounds, gardens and keep were still open. The total cost came to over half a million pounds.
He commissioned the Catholic architect, Charles Alban Buckler as he wanted to provide employment for other Catholics. Buckler was deeply religious and devoted to the study of medieval art and liturgy, adding a medieval glamour to his work. His work was well built and designed to require little maintenance. To prevent corrosion, gun metal rather than iron was used for windows. His work incorporate C12th remains as well as the incomplete work done by the 11th Duke. Only the west wing with a new kitchen block, the chapel and Baron’s Hall was completely rebuilt.
While retaining a stunning Gothic appearance reminiscent of the C13th, the interior had every modern convenience available. It was the first country house to be built with electric lighting, with a generator house on the estate. This also powered electric bells and the service lifts. There was a sophisticated plumbing system fed by water from Swanbourne Lake. The main bedrooms had their own bathroom and nearly all the bedrooms had their own water closet. The gravity fed domestic water supply also supplied the town. Central heating was provided with coal fired boilers and primitive radiators. The castle also had its integral fire fighting equipment with a fire engine and fire hydrants with hose attached in the castle itself. There were also fire alarm bells.
The Duke also refurnished most of the interior, with many C16-18th pieces from Europe. Many came from antiquarian collections which were being dispersed as no longer fashionable.
The Duke as keen to preserve what remained of the Norman Castle. and pains were taken not to damage any ancient features. There was great excitement when Henry II’s blocked windows in what was the Drawing Room were uncovered. The Norman Gateway again became the main entrance to the castle. The Norman Keep and curtain walls with its towers were restored.
On completion, the 15th Duke reopened the main rooms once a week. Any profits were divided between Chichester Infirmary, Brighton County Hospital, Brighton Eye Hospital, St Philip’s Club and the Victoria Institute.
Life in the Castle continued into the 1930s much as it had done before the First world War. Concerts and events were regularly held to raise money for good causes.
The C17th Duke added a stables to the estate as well a a tennis court and swimming pool.
The onset of the Second World War stopped plans for any further improvements. With its close proximity to possible German landing sites, many soldiers were deployed to defend the town. Many of the soldiers camped out in the Castle Park, although senior commanders lived in Arundel Castle and The Norfolk Arms Hotel. The main control centre was in the old jail under the Town Hall. The Keep was an important lookout post for coastal defences. Guns were placed on earthworks to the north of the castle. If there was an invasion, everyone would be taken into the castle grounds for safety.
The family occupied rooms in the south range while the rest of the castle was occupied by troops. The Baron’s Hall used to entertain the troops with dances, concerts and shows.
The castle reopened to the public in 1947 although many of the rooms in the east wing were used for storage.
The 16th Duke had planned to give the castle to the National Trust but following his death in 1975 the 17th Duke cancelled the plan. He created an independent charitable trust to guarantee the castle's future and preserve the castle and its contents. Substantial repairs were carried out between 1976-7 especially to the roof of the dining room and Baron’s Hall.
There have been further alterations and improvements since then. The most important Georgian furniture and best paintings come from the family home, Norfolk House, in London. The Victorian character of the interior has been restored with displays from the family collections along with a restaurant, and shop.
The east wing is now a self contained family home.
Website
Plan of the grounds
Plan of the castle
cont...
