Arundel Castle

Arundel Castle perches atop a prominent hill overlooking the River Arun and the South Downs, its origins tracing back to 1067 when Roger de Montgomery was granted the estate by William the Conqueror and ordered to build a defensive stronghold.

Many original medieval features—such as the Norman Keep, Gatehouse and Barbican—remain intact, illustrating the castle’s strategic role in guarding routes into Sussex. Its soaring stone walls and towers offered both an elevated vantage point and formidable barriers against invaders, essential in an age when control of territory depended on fortified sites.

Between the 1870s and 1890s the 11th Duke of Norfolk commissioned a near-complete Victorian Gothic rebuild of the domestic ranges, creating lavish interiors like the 122-foot Regency Library fitted in carved Honduras mahogany. This phase married medieval defence with modern comfort and reflected the romantic revival of “castle” architecture during Queen Victoria’s era.

An interesting postscript: Queen Victoria and Prince Albert stayed here in 1846 after the 13th Duke’s remodel, cementing Arundel’s fame as a stately home as well as a fortress.

One of the castle’s most intriguing individuals is Thomas Howard, 14th Earl of Arundel (1585–1646), known as “The Collector.” His passion for art and antiquities brought masterpieces by Van Dyck, Gainsborough and Canaletto to the state rooms and inspired the modern “Collector Earl’s Garden,” a theatrical Jacobean-style space opened in 2008 by Prince Charles as homage to the Earl’s legacy.

Photo credit: M, C