Arundel

There is evidence of a roman Villa in Arundel,however history of the town realy starts with Roger De Montgomery a cousin of William the Conqueror.As a reward for supplying 60 Ships to help in the invasion he was rewarded with amoung other things,the Earldom of Chichester and Arundel.He built the Motte-& bailey Castle just after the conquest in 1066.Sadly only the Gatehouse now survives.The Castle has had it's ups and downs but as it developed so did the town.It prospered with a busy port,Market and assorted industries.Large boats came up the river and docked in the town.including in the ninteenth century a steam tug.Twenty plus pubs looked after the needs of seafarers and smuglers.The use of the port that started in Norman times,came to an end in about 1935 with the introduction of Electrification of the railways and Littlehampton handling most of the cargoes.Today tourism has revived what was once a sleepy market town into a popular and thriving community with a well-deserved reputation for high class shops ,Hotels and  restaurants.