April 24, 2024:
Arundel Castle is a restored and remodeled medieval castle in Arundel, West Sussex, England. It was established by Roger de Montgomery in the 11th century. The castle was damaged in the English Civil War and then restored in the 18th and early 19th centuries by Charles Howard, 11th Duke of Norfolk.
Aerial photo – Arundel Castle – Photo: Visit Arundel
Map of the Arundel Castle area
We toured the Castle, the Castle Keep, Fitzalen Chapel, and the Gardens. Cost and Hours – Castle interior, Fitzalan Chapel, and grounds – £23, private upstairs bedrooms – £2 more; the grounds and chapel only £13. While most castle stops (the gardens, Fitzalan Chapel, Castle Keep) are open daily 10 am – 5 pm, the main rooms – the reason for the steep entry fee – don’t open until 12 noon; last entry at 4 pm; +44 1903 882 173; www.arundelcastle.org.
Map of the castle and grounds
Arundel Castle informational sign
There’s a café in the castle; parking at a pay lot across from the castle gate; the Arundel Castle Tulip Festival – is held mid-April until early May in the Arundel gardens; https://www.arundelcastle.org/event/tulip-festival/ (it was over by the time of our visit).
Castle Keep – The first stop on our tour of Arundel Castle was the Keep. On the way to the Keep we passed through the castle’s Guard Room, Portcullus (grilled door), and St. Martin’s Chapel.
The Guard Room
The Portcullis
St. Martin’s Chapel
After passing through these defensive fortifications, we passed outside the main castle and climbed up stairs to the Castle Keep.
The Keep sign
Climbing up stairs into the Castle Keep
Once inside the Castle Keep, we explored it, finding the Garderobe (primitive toilet drained from the Keep) and the Well, then we climbed up high in the Keep to enjoy the views.
Garderobe (toilets) in the Keep
The Well in the Keep
The Keep interior
The Keep upper walls/walk and tower
Walking the upper walls of the Keep
Arrow slits in the upper walls of the Keep
Views from the upper walls of the Keep
View of the inner castle courtyard and apartments from the Keep
Returning from the Keep to the castle
View of the Keep from the castle
We now started exploring rooms on the second floor of the castle – the Empress Matilda’s Room and Civil War Room, the stuffed animals hallway, and the Armory.
More rooms sign in the Portcullis
Empress Matilda’s Room
Civil War Room
Then we entered a hallway with stuffed heads.
Hallway with stuffed heads
Bull’s head
Large and small bird
At the end of this hall there is a small cubbyhole.
Cubbyhole at the end of the hall
Off the hall, there is an Armory.
The Armory
Then we descended one floor to see the Private Chapel.
The Private Chapel
From the Private Chapel, we entered Baron’s Hall.
Entering Baron’s Hall
Baron’s Hall
From Baron’s Hall we entered a hallway with a number of portraits.
Portrait Hallway
Thomas Howard – Third Duke of Norfolk
On our right, we entered the Dining Room.
Dining Room
Next to the Dining Room was a Drawing Room.
Drawing Room
There was a small unidentified room off the hallway.
Small room off the hallway
Around the corner from the Drawing Room was the Library.
The Library
Next we made our way up the Grand Staircase to see additional rooms (bedrooms, sitting rooms, bathrooms).
Ascending the Grand Staircase
Bedroom and bathroom
Sitting room
Hallways
Bedroom and bathroom
Bedroom and sitting room
Bedroom and bathroom
Bedroom and bathroom
We now descended the Grand Staircase and exited the interior of the castle to see the Castle Grounds, Fitzalen Chapel, and the Collector Earl’s Garden.
Descending the Grand Staircase
Castle Grounds
Flowers everywhere in the grounds
Twisted tree on the grounds
Fitzalen Chapel
Fitzalen Chapel contains the tombs of several Earls of Arundel and their wives.
Thomas Arundel, 5th Earl of Arundel (d. 1415) and Elizabeth de Bohun (d. 1385)
Richard FitzAlan, 10th Earl of Arundel (d. 1376) and his second wife, Eleanor of Lancaster (d. 1372)
Effigies of Thomas Howard, 14th Earl of Arundel (d. 1646), and his Wife Alethea Talbot, Countess of Arundel (d. 1654)
Effigies of Joan FitzAlan, Countess of Arundel (d. 1462), and William FitzAlan, 16th Earl of Arundel (d. 1489)
John FitzAlan, 7th Earl of Arundel (d 1435)
Detail of John FitzAlan’s cadaver – 7th Earl of Arundel
Flanking the aisle, we found the plaques dedicated to the most recent dukes: Bernard (who died in 1975) and his cousin Miles Francis (died in 2002). Today’s duke – Edward Fitzalan-Howard – is the 18th to hold the title.
Tombstone of Miles Francis, 17th Earl of Arundel
Collector Earl’s Garden
Stumpery in the Collector Earl’s Garden
Arundel Cathedral of Our Lady & St Philip Howard viewed from the Collector Earl’s Garden
The Collector Earl was Thomas Howard, the 14th Earl of Arundel, who managed to restore the family titles and wealth after many of his ancestors had been executed or disgraced. Howard was also the patron of Inigo Jones, and travelled to Italy with him where he began to amass his famous collection of art works. Much of this can still be seen at Arundel, although a large number of his classical marble sculptures are now in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, and his portfolios of drawings by Leonardo are now in the Royal Collection.
As a prominent Catholic the earl later went into self-imposed exile in Italy dying in Padua in 1646. His remains were returned home and interred in the Fitzalan Chapel at the castle.
Thomas Howard, 14th Earl of Arundel
by Daniel Mytens (c. 1618)
Rose Garden – This garden can be viewed on the way out of the castle.
Rose Garden
Leaving the castle and grounds of Arundel Castle