Chichester, West Sussex: Cathedral, Roman History & Things to Do

Chichester is a small cathedral city on the coastal plain of West Sussex, between the South Downs and the creeks of Chichester Harbour. Its four main streets still follow the Roman plan, meeting at a medieval market cross, and above them rises the only medieval English cathedral spire visible from the sea.

Why Chichester Is Special

Chichester packs a great deal into a walkable centre: Roman walls, a cathedral full of modern art, one of the best collections of 20th-century British art in the world, a nationally known theatre, and fine Georgian streets.

And within a few miles you reach the Downs, great gardens and the quiet waters of Chichester Harbour, a National Landscape.

The History of Chichester

The city stands on the foundations of the Romano-British town of Noviomagus Reginorum, capital of the Regni. The area is believed to have played a significant part in the Roman invasion of AD 43, and nearby Fishbourne Roman Palace is the largest Roman residence found in Britain. Stane Street, the Roman road to London, began at the east gate, an amphitheatre was built outside the walls around AD 80, and the North, South, East and West streets still radiate from the centre as they did in Roman times.

In the 9th century Alfred the Great made Chichester one of the larger burhs, fortified towns built against the Vikings, rebuilding the old Roman walls. After the Norman Conquest the bishop's seat was moved here from Selsey in 1075; the Domesday Book records about 300 dwellings and 1,500 people. Roger de Montgomery built a castle, which was captured by the French in 1216 and later destroyed.

The cathedral was consecrated in 1108 under Bishop Ralph de Luffa, burnt out in a fire of 1187 and reconsecrated in 1199. The spire was completed around 1402, and the free-standing bell tower beside it, unique among English cathedrals, dates from the 15th century. In 1262 a former bishop, Richard de la Wyche, was canonised as St Richard of Chichester; his shrine was destroyed in 1538. On 21 February 1861 the spire telescoped in on itself, without loss of life, and it was rebuilt.

Under Walter Hussey, dean from 1955 to 1977, the cathedral commissioned remarkable modern works: tapestries by John Piper, a window by Marc Chagall and a painting by Graham Sutherland. Hussey's own collection became the foundation of Pallant House Gallery, which opened in 1982 in a Grade I listed Queen Anne townhouse built in 1712 for the wine merchant Henry "Lisbon" Peckham. The cathedral also holds the 14th-century tomb of Richard FitzAlan, Earl of Arundel, and his wife, holding hands, which inspired Philip Larkin's poem An Arundel Tomb, and the grave of the composer Gustav Holst.

Things to Do in Chichester

Visit the cathedral for the Chagall window, the Piper tapestry and the Arundel tomb, and look up for the peregrine falcons that nest on the spire. Walk a stretch of the city walls and stand by the Market Cross, built around 1500, where the four streets meet.

Spend an hour or two in Pallant House Gallery, and check what's on at Chichester Festival Theatre, famous for its summer season. Wander the Georgian streets of the Pallants and the Bishop's Palace Gardens.

Gardens, Countryside & Antiques near Chichester

West Dean Gardens is a few miles north, Kingley Vale, with its ancient yew forest, is close by on the Downs, and Parham House and Gardens is a pleasant drive east. Arundel is about twenty minutes away; see our Arundel guide.

For home and interiors, Chichester has Neptune Chichester, Winter's Moon and Closs & Hamblin.

Chichester Through the Seasons

Spring brings blossom to the Bishop's Palace Gardens and the Downs to life. Summer is festival and theatre season, and boat trips on the harbour are a joy. Autumn and winter are lovely for the cathedral, the gallery and the harbour's wintering birds.

Getting to Chichester

Chichester station, on the coast line between Brighton and Portsmouth with direct trains from London Victoria, is a short walk south of the city centre.

Chichester: Questions & Answers

Is Chichester worth visiting?

Yes. It has Roman walls, a cathedral with a Chagall window, Pallant House Gallery, the Festival Theatre and Chichester Harbour, all within easy reach.

What is special about Chichester Cathedral?

Its spire is the only medieval English cathedral spire visible from the sea, it has a free-standing bell tower, and it holds modern art by Chagall, Piper and Sutherland and the Arundel tomb that inspired Philip Larkin.

Our Advice

Our advice: Start at the Market Cross, walk the walls, give the cathedral and Pallant House an hour each, then finish with a walk along the harbour or an evening at the theatre.