Surrounding Arundel Castle

Arundel Castle, situated in West Sussex, is surrounded 

by 40 acres of grounds and gardens. The view from the keep is lush and verdant.

There are formal gardens which are a tribute to Thomas Howard, the 14th Earl of Arundel

 with beautiful fountains and classic follies. 

Flowers are abundant, including this thistle, which is the national flower of Scotland.

I enjoyed some of the wild flowers the best

which framed the Arundel Cathedral. seen in the distance.

We found the guides at the Arundel Castle to be some of the most gracious ones ever, and they recommended we stroll down to the Black Rabbit Pub for a late lunch along the River Arun. Perfect, we thought, a little walk down the river would be refreshing.

Paddington got distracted when he found a discarded friend on top of the rubbish bin.

After walking for what seemed like ages, we finally found the pub one and a half miles away. 

Thank goodness, it was a pleasant afternoon with the castle in the background,

as we enjoyed some typical shrimp and chips

 and bangers and mash. With peas....always.

The town at the foot of the castle was charming

with cute shops and restaurants which would have been oh so much closer than the Black Rabbit Pub.

On the recommendation of a friend, we checked out Spencer Swaffer Antiques, a favorite among many, for treasures to take back home.  We did not find anything this trip that we could not live without, but

we had a hard time convincing Paddington that these "vintage" friends did not have a train ticket back to London with us.

Arundel gets 5 stars from all us, including Paddington!

Arundel Castle

One of our favorite summer excursions was an outing to Arundel Castle. Paddington was included in our trip, since he adores train rides and adventures. 

Originally built in the 11th century as a fortification on the River Arun, it has been almost entirely rebuilt in the late 1800's.  Currently it is the family home and seat of the Dukes of Norfolk and their ancestors, and has been for over 900 years.

The current Duke and Duchess of Norfolk live in the private quarters of the castle, and entertain guests in the suite of bedrooms almost year round except in the summer months when the guest bedrooms are open for visits by tourists. They were absolutely fascinating, as were all the rooms in the castle, which unfortunately we were not allowed to photograph. Take my word for it, the interiors were incredible.

The Duke of Norfolk is the Premier Duke and holds the office of the Earl Marshall, who is responsible for all state ceremonies, including the coronations, weddings and funerals of the sovereigns. I expect he is taking quite a close look at the developing relationship of Prince William and Kate Middleton who are rumored to be close to announcing an engagement.

This is the quadrangle which gives you a better idea of the size of the castle.

After viewing the rebuilt sections of the castle in the Gothic style, we headed up the steps to the original keep.

This section dating from the 11th century is an excellent example of defensive architecture.

The crenellated keep is perched on the motte, or artificial mound, some 100 feet up from the dry moat.

Arundel Castle is often used in filming and most recently was used in several scenes in the movie "The Young Victoria." Pictured here is an elaborate banquet scene filmed there. The second butler to the duchess was in the room the day we visited and enjoyed sharing stories with us about the filming that took place. It's only appropriate that the interiors of 

Arundel were used, since Queen Victoria and Prince Albert themselves stayed in the castle for 3 days in 1846.

We also had the chance to see inside the 14th century Fitzalan Chapel,

which is the burial place of the Dukes of Norfolk.

Upon leaving the chapel, we headed to the grounds and gardens

where like Paddington, we took time to smell the roses. The gardens warrant a post of their own, so be watching. The grounds and gardens are coming next....