Arundel Castle

The weather was beautiful (it really does get beautiful here in London now and then),  so Tony and I hopped a train down to the small village of Arundel (pronounced air-en-dell) to see Arundel Castle, the hereditary home of the Duke of Norfolk.

The train station, though busy due to the Olympics was running smoothly, and we made our 1.5 hour train ride and connections out to Arundel easily.

 From the train station, one can see the beautiful castle towering over the small village below it.  It truly is a magnificent looking castle.

  We stopped for lunch in the village at an old 16th century restaurant where they served scones and jam.  We had Coronation Chicken sandwiches and chips (fries) and Lemonade (Sprite).

After lunch, we hiked up the hill to the castle, which really is a castle. The oldest parts date back almost 1000 years, and have seen battle. 

 In 1106, seige was laid to the castle, and it took 3 months to capture it.  It was heavily involved in conflict during the English Civil War. 









We saw several guest bedrooms, among them a suite of rooms prepared for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert when they visited.

To this day, there is still a Duke of Norfolk in residence at the castle, and they still host dignitaries there.

 The original castle keep is accessible to visit, and makes a fun climb.

Though Thomas Howard, the 4th Duke of Norfolk was executed by Queen Elizabeth, the modern Duke of Norfold is highly regarded.

And of course the highlight of any British Day out is the Mr. Whippy Ice Cream Cone that comes at the end for the train ride back.