Arundel Castle

Day 10 Arundel castle

Today we had a nice gentle start with a scenic detour drive to Hartfield East Sussex the home of “Winnie ther Pooh” ( check the spelling in the book.) and we stopped off at Pooh Corner ( a shop dedicated to all things Winnie). Yes all the places in the book are real! And some of our party bought the rules of Pooh sticks from the shop.

We then stopped at Gills Lapp on Ashdown Forrest to see some of the real places from Winnie ther Pooh, the Enchanted Place and the Heffalump trap. They are real places I to visit so is Pooh Bridge but we didn’t have time to go there. Not exactly Tudor, but great fun to see these places anyway.

Arundel castle is the very image of a great and imposing fortress and was the inspiration behind a great Gothic novel “Gormenghast” by Mervyn Peake. It is home to the Duke of Norfolk, the premier Catholic family in England and the heriditary Earl Marshall of England (that means he is responsible for all state occasions) The Castle is just huge with a great Norman keep, a classic great hall, medieval parts and an English Civil war display as the castle was besieged at that time. There are also some private bedrooms, a great library and some dynastic portraits. It also has on display the necklace and girdle that belonged to Mary Queen of Scots.

The 3rd Duke was uncle to both Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, both executed wives of Henry VIII , the Duke was also due to meet the executioner but Henry died the night before his appointment with the block. The 4th Duke was executed by Elizabeth for plotting to marry Mary Queen of Scots.

We are staying at The Whiter Hart in Lewes the County town of East Sussex and where Thomas Paine wrote and debated “ The Rights of Man”. It was here on the terrace with a fabulous sunlit view of the South Downs that we had a talk and a weapons demonstration from “ Hands on History” a partner company that specialises in Historic detail on weapons and ordinary life.

It was hugely entertaining and one of our party got dressed up in armour, the full helmet and gauntlets too. Everybody got to feel and touch all the weapons and armour that we had been seeing all week but behind glass display cabinets. Weapons included the classic English war bow with a variety of arrow types , the cavalry sabre, the mace, the rapier and the war hammer.

Also there were samples of everyday materials and animal products such as a horn drinking vessel, animal sinew, sheeps wool, silk, hemp for rope making and a complete fox fur.

We had terrific curry dinner at a local Indian restaurant only a few minutes walk from the hotel, amazingly one of our party had not eaten curry before.

www.tudorhistorytours.com