Arundel Castle & Gardens

About

Welcome to Arundel Castle & Gardens and The Collector Earl's Garden
Set high on a hill in West Sussex, this great castle commands the landscape with magnificent views across the South Downs and the River Arun. Founded at the end of the 11th Century, it has been the family home of the Dukes of Norfolk and their ancestors for nearly 1000 years.

The original castle was founded on Christmas Day 1067 by Roger de Montgomery, Earl of Arundel, one of William the Conqueror's most loyal barons. He was awarded a third of Sussex with the stipulation that a new castle be built near the mouth of the Arun to protect the approaches to Sussex from attack. Arundel Castle is one of the longest inhabited country houses in England. Many of the original features such as the crenellated Norman keep, gatehouse and barbican and the lower part of Bevis Tower survive. Between the 1870s and 1890s the house was almost completely rebuilt and the magnificent architecture in Gothic style is considered to be one of the great works of Victorian England.

Stroll through the grounds where you will discover different themed gardens; the rose garden planted in contemporary style; the Chapel garden with white and cool coloured plants; the cutting garden with tender perennials and rare plants; the renovated Victorian peach house and vinery where exotic fruits & vegetables are cultivated. The Gardens and grounds are planted sympathetically, and managed with an organic eco-friendly ethos to encourage wild flowers, beneficial insects and wildlife.

Contemplate in the 14th Century Fitzalan Chapel, burial place of the Dukes of Norfolk and their ancestors. Ascend to the top of the Norman Motte & Keep that overlook some of the most beautiful downland in England and out to sea. Discover the rich history of The Dukes of Norfolk, the Earls of Arundel and Surrey and the Castle from our friendly and informative guides. Enjoy the grandeur of the finely preserved interior with its fascinating furniture, tapestries and rare collection of paintings by renowned artists including Van Dyck, Gainsborough and Canaletto.

The Private Chapel inside the castle is one of the most perfect monuments of 19th Century Catholic revival in England. Admire the exquisite craftsmanship evident throughout the Castle, typified by the rich mahogany panelling and vaulting that has marked out the Library as one of the finest Regency interiors in the world. Ascend the grand staircase and discover the Castle Bedrooms and Victorian bathrooms.

The Collector Earl's Garden - This new formal garden is a light-hearted tribute to Thomas Howard, 14th Earl of Arundel (1585 - 1646), known as 'The Collector'. It has been designed by Isabel and Julian Bannerman with Russell Taylor as job architect, and has been conceived as a Jacobean formal garden. It is in fact an imaginative re-creation of what the 'Collector'Earl's formal garden may have been like at Arundel House, his town palace overlooking the Thames in London.

The domed pergola and fountains are based on those seen in the garden vista in the background of the famous Mytens portrait of the Countess of Arundel (in the drawing room here), while the various gateways and pavilions are based on Inigo Jones's designs for Arundel House.

The garden is divided into formal courts with a centre canal pond, tufa-lined cascade and wild flower labyrinth. The planting is restrained - with scented magnolia grandiflora, Indian Bean Trees, shrubs and semitropical plants taking advantage of the walls to trap heat. The grand centrepiece is the rockwork 'mountain' planted with palms and unusual ferns to represent another world, supporting a green oak version of 'Oberon's Palace', a fantastic spectacle designed by Inigo Jones for Prince Henry's Masque on New Year's Day 1611, flanked by two green oak obelisks. This contains a shell-lined interior with a stalagmite fountain and gilded coronet 'dancing' on a jet of water.

The Stumpery has been designed artistically using magnificent old tree stumps from the Norfolk Estate. Planted with Cowslips, Foxgloves, Ferns, Hellebores, Euphorbias, Primroses and native Bluebells, the Stumpery encourages wildlife and insects including hedgehogs, butterflies and stag beetles.

The stunning English Herbaceous Borders have been redesigned with a natural style, using classic plantings such as tall Delphiniums, Lupins, Salvias, Alliums, Nepetas, Thalictrums, Geraniums, Roses, Alchemilla Mollis using blues, whites and pinks.

The Tropical Glass House features exotic Paw Paws, Passion Fruit, Bananas, Hot Chilli Collection, Coffee plants and Bird of Paradise plants. The restored Victorian Vine House has grape vines and fan-trained Chinese flat peaches.

The Cut Flower Garden, features Sweet Peas, Lavenders, Gladioli's, Alliums, Dahlias, Rudbeckias and English Roses.

By the Fitzalan Chapel, the tranquil White Garden is planted with soft white Iceberg Roses, Cosmos, Cleomes, and Snow White Erymurus Lilies.

The Rose Garden occupies the site of a Medieval bowling green. This garden is newly planted with lovely heavily scented old-fashioned English Roses that are at their very best in June and July.

The Organic Kitchen Garden produces a wonderful array of seasonal fruit and vegetables, and features flowers that attract beneficial insects, and deter unwanted ones. The old walls have fan-trained pears, cherries and apples and there are two lovely espalier apple arches divided by a small pond and fountain.