Arundel

Arundel

Arundel, town (parish), Arun district, administrative county of West Sussex, historic county of Sussex, southern England. The town lies in the valley of the River Arun where it cuts through the South Downs.

Arundel occupies the hillslope between the river and Arundel Castle, which was built soon after the Norman Conquest (1066) to guard the route through the Arun valley and along the coast. It was a borough by prescription (without a written charter) and is first mentioned in 877. After the conquest, it became the head of one of the six rapes (administrative divisions) of Sussex, and the present stone and flint castle replaced the earlier earthworks. In 1580 the earldom of Arundel passed to the Howard family, who had been dukes of Norfolk and hereditary earls marshal of England since 1483. Successive dukes repaired and improved the castle.

Once a river port, Arundel is now a quiet country town with considerable tourist traffic in summer. An 18th-century coaching inn, the Norfolk Arms, dominates the High Street. Pop. (2001) 3,408; (2011) 3,475.