Arundel Castle

Roger de Montgomery began the castle in 1067, the year after the Conquest, and the motte and the twelfth-century keep on top survive; the Fitzalan-Howards, Dukes of Norfolk and hereditary Earl Marshals of England, have held it since 1580, which makes it one of the longest continuous family seats in the country. It was slighted after a Civil War siege and rebuilt twice, most thoroughly by the fifteenth Duke between 1875 and 1900 in a scholarly Gothic revival that produced the barons' hall, the library in Honduras mahogany and the private chapel. The collection includes Van Dycks, Gainsboroughs and Mary Queen of Scots' rosary, carried to her execution. The Fitzalan Chapel at the end is Catholic and separated from the Anglican parish church by a glass screen, the two sharing one building.

What you actually see

• The Norman keep - a twelfth-century shell keep on the original motte.
• The Victorian interiors - barons' hall, mahogany library and private chapel.
• The divided church - Catholic chapel and Anglican parish under one roof, glassed apart.
• The Collector Earl's Garden - a modern formal garden with green oak structures.

When to go

April to October, the open season; the castle closes for winter apart from event days. Tulips fill the gardens in April and a jousting tournament runs in late July. The climb from the station is steep.

Honest expectations

Tickets are sold in tiers and the full one including the keep and bedrooms is expensive. The castle closes entirely from November to March. Interiors are mostly Victorian rather than medieval.

Nearby

Arundel town and its cathedral are below; the South Downs rise immediately north.