Uncovering ‘ghosts’ of Arundel past through hidden history of the town

Arundel Castle towers over the town centre, an obvious stately home and fortified castle, but there are other buildings in its shadow where the history is not so clear.

Take Gainsford, a house in Tarrant Street, for example. There is nothing obvious to show this was a private school until the early 1900s.

And the nearby properties on the corner of School Lane give no hint that here was once a popular pub, though the name lives on. The Newburgh Arms was built in the mid-18th century and after the pub permanently closed in 1982, it was converted to housing.

Ever wondered about the arched parade of shops in Crown Yard? This was where there was a Morris garage in the 1920s.

With Antiques & Militaria, at 18 High Street, the history of the building becomes obvious if you look up, for on the rooftop is an anvil. The building was home to Alfred Pain’s ironmongery business for more than 100 years, having been purpose built around 1890.

At The Old Printworks, in Tarrant Street, the clue is in the name. This was once home to the West Sussex Gazette printworks, which ran right through to the High Street, where the newspaper business had its front office.

There is a blue plaque at 53 High Street, placed by West Sussex County Council to mark the publication's 150th anniversary in 2003. It states that the West Sussex Gazette was published there between 1853 and 1996 – the date when the newspaper was moved to Chichester.

It was in this building that the West Sussex Gazette first came into existence on June 1, 1853. For its first two years, it was known by other names, initially Mitchell's Monthly Advertiser, under founding editor William Woods Mitchell, but since 1855, West Sussex Gazette has always been part of the title.

A ferocious fire in March 1889 damaged the printing machinery and around ten years later, the front office was replaced with a Jacobean style building that received national recognition.

The print rooms were converted into flats and a shopping arcade in the 1980s, with two separate entrances in Tarrant Street, one at each end.

The Old Salt House, in River Road, is a large white building on the riverbank. It was built around 1800 to store salt, salt-preserved meat and fish and, until the mid-20th century, it was slate-hung.

At The Old Malthouse, in Queen Street, you can see the white-topped oast house that was originally used for drying hops for brewing.

The area from Queens Lane down to the river was owned by George Constable of the Swallow Brewery, with its brewhouse and tall chimney towering above the street. At the rear of the Co-op, you can still see some of the surviving brewery buildings with their clerestory windows.

On the other side of the river, Brewery Hill takes you up to The Eagle pub. The road is named after the Eagle Brewery, which stood on the site for well over 200 years. The brewery buildings were taken over by Bevin, Bevin & Co. Ltd in the 1950s and 60 years later, they were converted into residential properties, known as Eagle Brewery Yard.

In Tarrant Street, just along from the pub, you will find Eagle Brewery House, where the retained 'Eagle Brewery Offices' signage shouts out the history of the building.

Further west along this road is the King’s Arms, believed to be the oldest pub in Arundel, dating back to around 1625. Nearby, up King’s Arms Hill, was the studio used by inn sign designer and painter Ralph Ellis.

The shops in Tarrant Street used to go all the way along to the west end, as you may guess from the building designs. At the far end used to be Bell's Cycles, now converted into a garage. The number of shops gradually reduced over the years, with only those nearer the high street remaining.

In Surrey Street, Arundel Library stands proud. You may wonder about the layout, with the large open area inside the walls. It dates back to when it was first built around 1900 for Arundel Church of England School, complete with playground.

The school moved in 1974 and two years later, the library moved in from down the road at 51 Maltravers Street, as part of a new community centre and youth club.

It is said that the library has a ghost, Betty, who is thought to have been a teacher or headmistress at the school, as she apparently favours the office upstairs and the stairway.

Take a walk around Arundel to find more 'ghosts' of the past, keeping your eyes peeled for these and other hints of the town's history.