Arundel
| Arundel | |
| Sussex | |
|---|---|
 Town overlooked by Arundel Castle | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | TQ018070 |
| Location: | 50°51’16"N, -0°33’14"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 3,408 (2001) |
| Post town: | Arundel |
| Postcode: | BN18 |
| Dialling code: | 01903 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Arun |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Arundel and South Downs |
Arundel is a small market town nestled in the South Downs in the south of Sussex. It lies 10 miles east of the county town, Chichester, and 18 miles west of Brighton. The River Arun runs through the eastern side of the town. The town is famous for its historic castle and cathedral.
Arundel Castle is the seat of the Dukes of Norfolk, whose subsidiary title, borne by the Duke's heir, is "Earl of Arundel and Surrey".
Arundel is a little away from the county's busy coast, clustered against which are such nearby towns as Worthing to the east, Littlehampton due south and Bognor Regis to the southwest.
Name
No one knows the origin of the name of Arundel. It is believed that the '-del' element means "valley" or "dale" (or "dell"), from the Old English dæl, and it may be assumed tha the town is named form its river; hence "Arun dale", although the Arun was formaerly known as the Tarrant and renamed in back-formation from the name of Arundel, so if the town were named from its river it would be a development of "Tarrantdale".
The origin of 'Arun' is unexplained but with several chasing it. One is that the upper reaches of the Arun, away from the sea, was once known as the Arnus, from the British language word Arno, meaning 'run' or 'go'.[1] Another theory looks at the preponderance of hoarhound growing on the slopes of the Arun near the town, and that Arundel means 'hoarhound-dell'.
The name may be Old English; earndæl or ærndæl means 'eagle dell' or 'dwelling dell'.
The romantic idea is that the town takes its name from the French word for swallow, aronde (today, hirondelle), a bird which is on the town's crest.[2] The symbol of the swallow was adopted as hirondelle imitates the town's name but the name of Arun surely long predates the first French boot on Sussex soil, and if the Old English theory is correct, it is named from a bird, but a feriocious earn, not a gentle hirondelle'.
A new, wilder theory by Theo Vennemann proposes that 'Arun' is cognate to the Basque language aran meaning 'valley', though he goes further and has these far-flung Basques naming Arendal in Norway and Sweden, which names almost certainly come from the Norse arnardalr meaning 'eagle dale'. No actual names form that language isolate, Basque, have actually been found outside its homelands in Spain and France.
Geography
Arundel is a major bridging point over the River Arun, the lowest road bridge until the opening of the Littlehampton swing bridge in 1908. Arundel Castle was built by the Normans to protect that vulnerable point to the north of the valley through the South Downs. The town later grew up on the slope below the castle to the south. The river was previously called the Tarrant and was renamed after the town by antiquarians in a back-formation.
Arundel lies to the north of the A27 road, which narrowly avoids the town centre by a short and congested single carriageway bypass. Plans for a more extensive, "High-quality dual carriageway" bypass have been on and off for the past 30 years, and are currently off, despite the junction built in anticipation for it at Crossbush.
Arundel railway station is on the Arun Valley Line.
The Monarch's Way long-distance footpath passes through the town and crosses the river here, while just under five miles north of the town the route of the South Downs Way runs.
Since 1 April 2011 the town has been within the boundaries of the South Downs National Park.
Society
People born in Arundel are known locally as Mullets, as they catch mullets which breed in the River Arun.
Arundel is home to one of the oldest Scout Groups in the world. 1st Arundel (Earl of Arundel's Own) Scout Group was formed in 1908 only a few weeks after Scouting began.[3] Based in its current HQ in Green Lane Close, it has active sections of Beaver Scouts, Cub Scouts and Scouts.
Sport and leisure
- Football: Arundel FC, who play at Mill Road.
- Cricket: Arundel Castle Cricket Ground is at the castle, often cited as being one of the country's most picturesque.[4] It hosts Sussex County Cricket Club for a number of games each season and is also the venue for the traditional season curtain-raiser between Lavinia Duchess of Norfolk's XI and the champion county. Every summer it hosts the touring county.
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Arundel) |
References
- ↑ "Armis". Romanmap.com. http://www.romanmap.com/htm/nomina/Armis.htm. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
- ↑ "ARUNDEL - Online Information article about ARUNDEL". Encyclopedia.jrank.org. http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/ARN_AUD/ARUNDEL.html. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
- ↑ "Forward! Once more...". Newsletter Issue 1. Arundel Scout Group. January 2008. p. 1. http://www.arundelscouts.org.uk/magazine/1st%20Arundel%20Scout%20Group%20-%20Forward%20Once%20More%20-%20Jan08.pdf. Retrieved 16 March 2009.
- ↑ Cricinfoengland