A few miles west of Worthing is the ancient port town of Arundel, situated on the River Arun near the mid point of the South Downs. The approach by road on the A27 or by train is spectacular as the huge medieval castle looms into view.
There are a number of beauty spots nearby and, besides its castle, Arundel has many other attractions, including a Toy and Miltary Museum, and the Wetlands and Wildfowl Trust. Amberley Museum and nearby Bramber Castle are within easy reach.
Within the castle grounds lies one of the most picturesque cricket grounds in the world.
Home to Arundel Castle Cricket Club, it is also the venue for visiting international touring teams and the county team.
Besides the castle, the town was also famous until the last 100 years or so for its port.
Mentioned in the Norman Domesday survey of 1086, Arundel grew to become one of the South's busiest ports until the 1930s.
In the port's heydey, tall-masted ships were moored all along the river.
Arundel inevitably attracted smugglers, looking to sneak in expensive items like tea tobacco, brandy or lace.
During the Napoleonic Wars it was dangerous to take supplies for the fleet by ship down the Channel in case they were attacked. So a canal was built connecting the River Arun with the canals at Chichester. It was planned to make a route right through from London to Portsmouth, but by the time the canal was completed the wars were over and it was little used.
During the 1800s Arundel was linked to London by the Wey-Arun Canal, but by the turn of the 20th Century was obsolete and it remains closed.
Arundel Museum and Heritage Centre has a history of the port including photographs and models of the different ships which were once commonplace on the river.
Many of the old port buildings once used as salt warehouses have now been either demolished or converted into small businesses or homes.
Similarly, while Arundel's river-bank used to have more than 30 ale houses where sailors, workers and smugglers would congregate, today just a handful survive.
By 1927, the Port of Arundel was finished. The Port Commissioners who ran it ceased to function and the port was transferred to Littlehampton.
The last big ships came up to Arundel in the 1930s. Trains now carried the goods once transported by ship and when the line was electrified in 1936, a permanent bridge across the river was built which meant the large ships could no longer reach Arundel.
This article is copyrighted by This is Brighton
Tourist information about another destination in England
