Arundel

[poliphilo]

Arundel has one of the loveliest skylines in Britain, but move in close and it all gets a bit oppressively ducal. On one side of the town is the dukes' castle and on the other the catholic cathedral which the dukes built so they could pursue their religious practices in properly ducal style and which they dedicated to a sainted ancestor who fell foul of Elizabeth I. The castle is authentically medieval but has been rebuilt by a Victorian duke in a style that anticipates Walt Disney while the cathedral is thoroughly Victorian and slavishly French.  In the middle of the town is the parish church which has been divided in two- with the dukes claiming the bit containing their family tombs as private property and sealing it off behind a locked screen.

I couldn't live in Arundel. Apart from not being able to afford it I'd be continually looking up at the ducal piles and grinding my teeth.

Comments

[michaleen.livejournal.com]

Sounds oppressive.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Yes, the atmosphere is feudal.

[puddleshark.livejournal.com]

Thoroughly Victorian and slavishly French? Think I'll give that one a miss, then.

I hate that locked screen thing. Superiority even in death... Bah.

[kamomil.livejournal.com]

It's all part of history. But that doesn't mean it's not annoying. My pet peeve is EIFS installed over brick.

I was at the cathedral in Bamburg, the architecture looked a little mashed up, and sure enough, they couldn't decide how or when to build it. It had elements of 2 different styles of architecture

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Also of course the Norfolks are Catholics and they don't want their chapel polluted with ungodly Anglican worship.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Mash-ups can be good if they have developed organically- over a long period- which tends to be the case with buildings like cathedrals and castles.

[davesmusictank.livejournal.com]

Another of my favourite small towns. Know it well.