ARUNDEL

 "Since William rose and Harold fell, there have been Earls at Arundel"

There are nearly 1,000 years of history at this great castle, situated in magnificent grounds overlooking the River Arun in West Sussex and originally built at the end of the 11th century by Roger de Montgomery, Earl of Arundel.

Arundel Castle is now the home of The Duke and Duchess of Norfolk and their children. The Duke of Norfolk is the Premier Duke, the title having been conferred on Sir John Howard in 1483 by his friend King Richard III. The Dukedom has carried with it the hereditary office of Earl Marshal of England. This means that the Duke is in charge of state ceremonial such as the coronation and funeral of the sovereign and such occasions as the sovereign declares shall be a state occasion, e.g. the investiture of HRH The Prince of Wales and the funeral of Sir Winston Churchill. Visitors often ask about the relationship of the English sovereign to the Dukes of Norfolk: they share a common ancestor in King Edward I (1239-1307) and also King Edward III (1312-1377). As Earl Marshal, the Duke is head of the College of Arms, founded in 1484, the official authority on heraldry and genealogy in England and Wales.

The imposing castle is primarily 19th century, but is built around the remains of an authentic 12th-century castle, of which the keep still stands. 

The castle was almost totally destroyed during the Civil War, partially rebuilt during the Napleonic era,and rebuilt again in the 1890s, so that most of what is seen now is mock-medieval.

A bit of useless trivia: In 1292, the Earl of Arundel was excommunicated by the Bishop of Chichester, for walking his dog in the Bishop's forest. The nobility of England and France protected their game reserves, and established 'Forest Law' to protect the animals they wanted to hunt.