Arundel Castle is a restored and remodelled medieval castle in Arundel, West Sussex, England. It was established by Roger de Montgomery on Christmas Day 1067. Roger became the first to hold the earldom of Arundel by the graces of William the Conqueror. The castle was damaged in the English Civil War and then restored in the 18th and 19th centuries by Charles Howard the 11th Duke of Norfolk.

From the 11th century, the castle has been the seat of the Earl of Arundel and, for over 400 years, the Duke of Norfolk. It is a Grade I listed building.

The original structure was a motte and double bailey castle. Roger de Montgomery was declared the first Earl of Arundel as the King granted him the property as part of a much larger package of hundreds of manors. After Roger de Montgomery died, the castle reverted to the crown under Henry I. 

Since 1138 to the present day Arundel Castle and the Earldom of Arundel have passed by inheritance, in all but two or three generations in a direct male line, and with only two or three temporary forfeitures to the crown. Since the Aubigny family first acquired the castle progressive changes have been made and the castle has been re-structured to meet the requirements of modern times.

In 1176 William d'Aubigny, 1st Earl of Arundel, died and Arundel Castle reverted to the crown, under King Henry II, who spent a vast amount of money re-structuring the building, mainly for domestic needs. When Henry died the castle remained a possession of his son and heir King Richard I ("the Lionheart"), who offered it to William d'Aubigny, 3rd Earl of Arundel. The last in the Aubigny male line was Hugh d'Aubigny, 5th Earl of Arundel, who died at an early age in 1243. When his sister and heiress Isabel d'Aubigny married John FitzAlan of Clun, he became the 6th Earl of Arundel and inherited the castle. The FitzAlan family continued in an unbroken male line until 1580, but were twice temporarily deprived of their estates.

In 1643, during the First English Civil War, the castle was besieged. The 10,000 royalists inside surrendered after 18 days. Afterwards in 1653 Parliament ordered the slighting of the castle, however "Weather probably destroyed more".

Although the castle remained in the hands of the Howard family over the succeeding centuries, it was not their favourite residence, and the various Dukes of Norfolk invested their time and energy into improving other ducal estates, including Norfolk House in London and Worksop.

Charles Howard, 11th Duke of Norfolk, was known for his restoration work and improvements to the castle beginning in 1787 and continuing for a number of years, as he desired to live there and entertain his visitors there. Many of his improvements have since been revised and remodelled, but the library in the castle is still as he had it designed and built.

The Folly that still stands on the hill above Swanbourne Lake was commissioned by and built for the Duke by Francis Hiorne to prove his abilities as an architect and builder. He held a large party at Arundel Castle to celebrate the 600th anniversary of the signing of Magna Carta shortly before his death in 1815.

Soon after the 1846 Royal visit, the 14th Duke began re-structuring the castle again. He died before its completion, and the work, which had been undertaken by Rattee and Kett of Cambridge, was completed by the 15th Duke in 1900. The keep was restructured later on, but the original keep was retained until then for its antiquity and picturesque quality.

Today the castle remains the principal seat of the Dukes of Norfolk, the dukedom currently being held by the 18th Duke, the Earl Marshal of England. Most of the castle and its extensive grounds are open to the public.

This pack contains two additonal mods:

-The Cathedral Church of Our Lady and St Philip Howard is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Arundel. Dedicated in 1873 as the Catholic parish church of Arundel, it became a cathedral at the foundation of the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton in 1965. It now serves as the seat of the Bishop of Arundel and Brighton.

The cathedral's location, construction, design, and dedication owe much to the Howard family, who, as Dukes of Norfolk and Earls of Arundel are the most prominent English Catholic family, and rank first (below the royal family) in the Peerage of England. Since 1102 the seat of the Howards' ancestors has been Arundel Castle.

In 1868, Henry Fitzalan-Howard, 15th Duke of Norfolk, commissioned the architect Joseph Hansom to design a new Roman Catholic sanctuary as a suitable counterpart to Arundel Castle. The architectural style of the cathedral is French Gothic, a style that would have been popular between 1300 and 1400—the period in which the Howards rose to national prominence in England. The building is Grade I listed and is regarded as one of the finest examples of Gothic Revival architecture in the French Gothic style in the country.

The church was originally dedicated to Our Lady and St Philip Neri, but in 1971, following the canonisation of Philip Howard, 1st Earl of Arundel, and the reburial of his relics in the cathedral, the dedication was changed to Our Lady and St Philip Howard.

-The church of St Nicholas is one of the very few church buildings that is divided into two worship areas, a Roman Catholic area (the chancel) and an Anglican area (the nave and transepts). The chancel, the Fitzalan Chapel, is used as the private mausoleum of the Dukes of Norfolk. It is a Grade I listed building.

Richard FitzAlan, 10th Earl of Arundel, was responsible for the building of the Chapel posthumously according to his will. The original Fitzalan Chapel consisted of the entire building, and was built as the Collegiate Church of the Holy Trinity in 1380 by commission of Richard FitzAlan, 11th Earl of Arundel, whose family owned Arundel Castle. It is an example of Perpendicular Gothic architecture, and the architect and mason is believed to have been William Wynford. A number of noted Fitzalan and Howard family members are buried in the chapel, many in tombs adorned with sculpted effigies. Most of the recently deceased Dukes of Norfolk are buried there.

The chapel was badly damaged in 1643 during the siege of Arundel Castle by the Parliamentarians' cannons during the English Civil War. It remained neglected throughout the 18th century. During this period, the Anglican parish was established in the western portion of the church building. Bernard Howard, 12th Duke of Norfolk, is credited with initiating major repairs to the Fitzalan Chapel circa 1837, and his successors expanded and restored the chapel further.