The History Of Arundel - By: Stu Beck

Arundel began as a Saxon town before the Romans arrived with a population of a few hundred and became a thriving market and port. Arundel has been dominated by the Dukes of Norfolk ever since they came into the possession of Arundel castle at the end of the 16th century, to which it still remains to this day.
In the mid 13th Century the friars arrived to build the first religious buildings in the town, which is referred to by locals as 'blackfriars'. The ruins are still there to go and see next to the town bridge and the parish church of St Nicholas was built in 1830. Arundel Castle was severely damaged during the English Civil war, during which it changed hands three times and was not fully restored until the beginning of the 20th century. From the end of the civil war to the end of the 18th century the town was in a poor state, a victim of the destruction that war brings, only to once again florish as a small market town with a population just under 2,000 and by 1901 had grown to have 3,000 people living there. The current population is 3650.
In 1846 a railway station had been built at Ford along the coast from Brighton to Portsmouth, which was called "Arundel Station". The result of the railway caused the port and the markets to cease operating as we reached the early 20th century. Arundel and rsquo;s actual railway station was built in 1863 when the line was extended down to the Arun valley. Work begun on a then new Catholic church by the 15th Duke of Norfolk and work on it was completed in 1873. The church later received cathedral status in 1965.
The town is now a popular tourist destination famous for Arundel castle, Arundel Cathedral and the Blackfriars historical building. In 2001 Arundel had its first market for more than eighty years, the Arundel Farmers market, which has since become a popular monthly event.


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