Chichester heritage trails go digital

A total of eight free heritage trails around Chichester are set to take walkers on a journey of more than 2,000 years of history around the city, covering the Civil War in the 1640s, current and forgotten pubs, places of worship, famous people and the history of buildings and places across the four quadrants of the city.

Financed by a Heritage Lottery Fund grant in 2016 and with contributions from Chichester City Council and The Chichester Society the project was conceived by the Chichester Society, managed by History People UK and delivered with the support and active contribution of many organisations and individuals.

Printed versions of each trail have been available for some time from The Novium, the Library, West Sussex County Record Office, the Weald and Downland Museum and the City Assembly Rooms and copies can be downloaded and printed from the Society website at www.chichestersociety.org.uk/trails. However, it has not been possible to obtain funding for ongoing reprinting and any necessary updating of the leaflets’ content, so the stock of printed leaflets will eventually be used up.

To address this eventuality, all eight trails have now been digitised using Google maps and are available online via the link above. This enables walkers to follow the trail using a smartphone or tablet or even enjoy the history of the city from the comfort of their homes no matter where in the world. The Chichester Society plans to review, update and add to them whenever possible

Experience these trails and let the team at the Chichester Society have any feedback which can be done via the website comment form at www.chichestersociety.org.uk/contact-us or direct to [email protected].