Arundel Castle

I spent last Sunday in the tiny, tiny town of Arundel, visiting and exploring the incredibly gorgeous castle. I've been to castles and palaces before in Scotland and England, but this was the first that felt like a CASTLE.

Parts of the castle have been around since 1067, but was severely damaged and ruined during the English Civil War, and rebuilt in the 18th and 19th centuries. It was interesting to step from the ancient parts to the more "modern" rooms and corridors of the current castle! I was initially worried about the steep price of the ticket (13 quid) but it ended up being totally worth it. You weren't allowed to take pictures inside, which was unfortunate, because it was simply beautiful. There is an entire chapel inside of the castle, complete with a vaulted ceiling. The current Duke and Duchess of Norfolk still live in the castle, so some rooms are not open to the public. However, if you've watched the Young Victoria, you've seen part of the castle! The grand dining/banquet hall of Arundel Castle was used for the King's birthday dinner scene in the movie. I recognized it the minute I stepped in- I guess that shows how many times I've watched that film!

The castle curators were full of interesting little tidbits about the various dukes and earls of Norfolk, and the castle itself. The poet Earl (Henry Howard, who was important to English poetry) was executed by Henry VIII, and his father was scheduled to be beheaded in the Tower of London a few days later. However, Henry died before the execution was carried out, so the father just barely escaped with his head. Talk about luck!

The only actual "ancient" part surviving is the castle keep. The castle was surrounded by 10,000 military forces during the English Civil War and was severely damaged. Very cool to stand in the keep and look out over the countryside, and imagine soldiers standing in the same place, facing the enemy. One of the curators said you could picture it like Helm's Deep from Lord of the Rings! :)

Apart from the interior of the castle, I also got to explore and wander the extensive grounds. The castle has some incredibly gorgeous gardens, as well as greenhouses. They grow all of the flowers for castle events as well as the vegetables for the family. You could also see Arundel Cathedral from the grounds.

I also got quite a bit of walking done. Not only was the castle/grounds so huge, I walked the 1.5 miles from the train station to the castle, but backtracked to my youth hostel, which was about 2 miles outside of town. I've turned into a cheap traveler- I could have taken a taxi for about 5 pounds, but thought, eh. I can walk.

Overall, one of my favorite mini trips! It was so amazing, and made me excited for future mini trips throughout England! I'm off to Dover Saturday, and possibly Canterbury Sunday.