If any of you have seen the wonderful film The Young Victoria, you might recognize Arundel Castle.
It played a starring role in the film — it acted as stand-in for the Chapel Royal, St. James’s Palace and St. Georges Hall at Windsor Castle.
Queen Victoria even visited the castle with her husband Prince Albert for three days in 1846. You can view the rooms where special furniture was commissioned for her visit.
My parents, husband and I made a trip to the castle in West Sussex during our holiday in England.
The castle is on a hill and it is the first thing you see as you come round the corner to Arundel. And it’s an incredible sight. It was built at the end of the 11th century and has been the family home of the Dukes of Norfolk for more than 900 years.
We visited on a particularly sunny day and it has beautiful gardens to explore. The new formal garden was opened in May 2008 by the Prince of Wales.
There is plenty to explore and it is a beautiful area to walk around
The castle itself was founded on Christmas Day 1067 by Roger de Montgomery, Earl of Arundel.
We were able to visit the Castle Keep which provided a wonderful view of the West Sussex countryside — and reminded me of my school history lessons when we learned about the importance of the motte, gatehouse and moat.
I was also fascinated by the castle’s library which contained thousands of books and some rather strange titles — anything from novels to gardening and history. It is also a beautiful Regency-period room.
There are treasures throughout Arundel.
In the dining room, you can see the rosary that Mary Queen of Scots took with her to her execution.
Nearly every wall at Arundel contains something of interest from beautiful paintings to a copy of an execution notice signed by Elizabeth 1.
The family’s chapel, which you can view from above, is a very impressive room and is still used today.
While we were in Arundel, we took the opportunity to walk around the village which is very picturesque and full of antique shops. We had a cup of tea and a piece of delicious cake at a quaint cafe called Belinda’s.
It is a historic 16th century building, which even in the warm April sun had a fire blazing in the grate. In every spare space, there was also some kind of ornamental teapot and the tea house really does feel as if you have been taken back in time.
We later enjoyed an ice-cream by the River Arun, which runs though the bottom of the village.
I’m surprised it took me 26 years to visit Arundel, but I’m delighted we made the trip at last.
It must be such a sight for the people who live in Arundel to wake up and see the castle each day.
I would certainly recommend a visit to any tourist planning a trip to England’s south coast.
@Tagline:Rebecca Lawrence can be reached at 691-1258.
