Storming the castle

This is the first view of Arundel Castle after entering the grounds.  It's very impressive.  It was built in stages, starting about 1068.  The "new" part was finished up in the 1800s.  

It was the home of the earls of Arundel until that line died out due to lack of a male heir.  They married  off a daughter to a duke of Norfolk and the place is currently owned and occupied by the 18th Duke of Norfolk.  It's all very confusing. 

We arrived before the castle opened so we started our tour with the grounds. That was fortuitous because the weather wasn't as nice by the time we left.  These look like cyclamens that we have as a florist plant but they were growing in the ground.  

This arbor is formed from apple trees and they were full of fruit.  There were also pear trees trained flat against a wall that were also full of fruit.

I don't know what this is but it's the leaves rather than flowers that provide the color.  They could have done a better job labeling their plants and trees for those of us that care.

It's not the height of summer but the gardens were still full of colour.  (Please notice that I've added a British "u" although my spellcheck isn't happy about it.)

The Dahlias were spectacular.

The keep and the motte it sits on are the earliest parts of the castle.  They use goats to graze the hillside, which is too steep to mow..

This is probably the original entrance to the castle but its not in use today. 

There were lots of steps, rather steep.  The British have no ADA even today.

They had two Rheas on the grounds, for some reason.  They seemed to like having their picture taken.  The goats on the other hand, were aloof.

Clay in front of one of the older parts of the castle. 

This tower was not open to the public.  The wall encircles a large area, including tilting grounds, and the part of the home that is still private. 

Both my mother and I planted cannas in containers this year, none of which grew as large as these.

I'm not a big fan of hydrangeas generally but these weren't blue and they formed a nice hedge.

Inside one of the greenhouses or "glasshouses" as they called them here.

Inside the castle's keep.  We also walked along the top.  There was an outdoor toilet (not in use) that basically just dropped poo down the outside of the wall. There was also an opening for dumping hot oil, water, or whatever onto invaders. 

This view shows the newer parts of the castle. All of the left side is used as private residence.  No photography was allowed inside but the interior was notable mostly for its artwork.  There were countless paintings, portraits mostly.  Any or all of them could have been in the British National Gallery.

This is a view of the Arun river as it runs through the town.

This is a little hard to see and understand from this picture but it says a lot about the history of the place.  It was taken inside a Protestant church on the grounds looking into a Catholic chapel where many of the Norfolks and Arundels are interred.  It's actually the same building divided by a glass wall and iron screen.  The family were (and still are) Catholics.  One of the Norfolks was beheaded by Elizabeth I based on suspicion of conspiring with the Spanish to depose her and re-install a catholic monarch.  I expect she was right.  The death warrant is on display in the library.  The castle itself changed hands a couple times during their Civil War.  The sieges were successful not by storming the walls but by cutting off the water supply.   

The day turned wet, raw, and windy as we were walking around the town so we got to the pub that was are destination for the night, The Hampshire Hog.  We had dinner and are drinking beer beside this cozy fire as I write this blog.