Area 12.13 km (4.68 sq mi) Civil parish Arundel Region South East Population 3,408 (2001) | OS grid reference TQ018070 District Arun Country England Shire county West Sussex | |
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Weather 9°C, Wind SW at 27 km/h, 87% Humidity Points of interest Arundel Castle, WWT Arundel, Arundel Museum, Arundel Cathedral, Bignor Roman Villa | ||
Destination arundel west sussex travel guide
Arundel (/ˈærəndəl/ or /ˈɑːndəl/) is a market town and civil parish in a steep vale of the South Downs, West Sussex, England. It lies 49 miles (79 km) SSW of London, 18 miles (29 km) WNW of the English Channel city of Brighton, and 10 miles (16 km) east of the county city of Chichester. Larger nearby towns include Worthing, Littlehampton and Bognor Regis. The much-conserved town with large green buffers has a medieval castle and Roman Catholic cathedral. Although smaller in population than most other parishes, Arundel has a museum and comes second behind much larger Chichester in its number of listed buildings in West Sussex. The River Arun runs through the eastern side of the town.
Contents
- Destination arundel west sussex travel guide
- Map of Arundel UK
- Arundel a historic market town in west sussex england
- Name
- Governance
- Geography
- Society
- Sport and leisure
- Notable people
- References
Map of Arundel, UK
Arundel was one of the boroughs reformed by the Municipal Reform Act 1835. From 1836-1889 the town had its own Borough police force with a strength of three. In 1974 it became part of the Arun district, and now is a civil parish with a town council.
Arundel a historic market town in west sussex england
Name
The name was spelled Arundell. The modern spelling dates to the 18th century.
The etymology of the name is usually derived from the name of River Arun, a British hydronym, combined with Anglo-Saxon dell.
A popular etymology, reflected in the municipal coat of arms, connects the Norman French word for "swallow", aronde.
Governance
An electoral ward in the same name exists. This ward stretches north to Houghton with a total population as taken at the 2011 census of 4,298.
Geography
Arundel civil parish occupies an area somewhat larger than its built-up clusters, with the old town towards the north and the new to the south, separated by a main road.
Arundel town is a major bridging point over the River Arun as it was the lowest road bridge until the opening of the Littlehampton swing bridge in 1908. Arundel Castle was built by the Normans to protect that vulnerable fairly wooded plain to the north of the valley through the South Downs. The town later grew up on the slope below the castle to the south. The river was previously called the Tarrant and was renamed after the town by antiquarians in a back-formation.
Arundel includes meadows to the south but is clustered north of the A27 road, which narrowly avoids the town centre by a short and congested single carriageway bypass. Plans for a more extensive, HQDC bypass were debated intensely between 1980 and 2010 and built a junction for it at Crossbush. Arundel railway station is on the Arun Valley Line. The Monarch's Way long-distance footpath passes through the town and crosses the river here, while just under five miles north and north-west of the town the route of the South Downs Way runs.
The town itself lies outside the boundaries of the South Downs National Park.
Society
Arundel is home to Arundel Castle, seat of the Duke of Norfolk; and to Arundel Cathedral, seat of the (Catholic) Bishop of Arundel and Brighton.
On 6 July 2004, Arundel was granted Fairtrade Town status.
People born in Arundel are known locally as Mullets, due to the presence of mullet in the River Arun.
Arundel is home to one of the oldest Scout Groups in the world. 1st Arundel (Earl of Arundel's Own) Scout Group was formed in 1908 only a few weeks after Scouting began. Based in an HQ in Green Lane Close, it has active sections of Beaver Scouts, Cub Scouts and Scouts.
Sport and leisure
Arundel has a non-League football club Arundel F.C. who play at Mill Road.
The town also has its own cricket ground at the castle, often cited as being one of the country's most picturesque. It hosts Sussex County Cricket Club for a number of games each season.