Arundel, Market town in West Sussex, England
Arundel is a market town in West Sussex, England, where the River Arun flows through the center and a Norman castle towers over narrow lanes lined with medieval buildings. The streets climb from the riverside up toward the castle, passing timber-framed houses and stone structures from different centuries.
The Normans built a castle in 1067 to protect the wooded plain north of the South Downs, shaping the development of the settlement on the hillside below. During the Middle Ages the place grew as a market town and maintained its importance through its role as an administrative center for the region.
The name derives from Old English for "eagle valley," and the town still hosts an annual medieval festival each summer where residents dress in period costume and reenact historical trades. Visitors can watch craftspeople demonstrate traditional skills along High Street during these days.
Trains from the station connect the place to London Victoria in about 90 minutes and offer direct links to Portsmouth and Brighton. The steep streets require good footwear, especially when climbing up to the castle or the cathedral above the town center.
The place is home to one of the earliest Scout groups in the world, founded in 1908 at the start of the Scouting movement. The group still meets regularly today and maintains archives with documents from the early years of the organization.
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