111 Places in Chichester and West Sussex That You Shouldn't Miss

​It comes from Norman Miller, revealing often unexpected stories behind a range of both familiar and off-the-radar sights across the county, offering inspiration and insights for locals and visitors alike. Each place has a dedicated page of background and stories, with a striking picture alongside.

As well as diverse spots in and around Chichester, chapters range from Petworth and Midhurst in the north to the shores of Chichester Harbour and Sussex's southern tip on the Manhood Peninsula.

Norman, who is based in Brighton, said: “I have been down here since 2006 after spending 20 years in London and for the last ten years in London I was thinking ‘Why am I in London when it is so awful?’ I used to enjoy coming to Brighton and just thought why on earth don't we come down here properly. The first ten years in London you think ‘Everything is here and everything is fantastic!’ and then the scales come away from your eyes and you realise all you see is concrete and cars. We came to Brighton and it was great

“And I saw that there was an entry for Brighton in this series of books. I had not been au fait with this huge global series but as a travel writer you're always looking for new ideas and different approaches and different angles. So I started thinking would there be somewhere else I could do. I emailed the author of the Brighton book just saying ‘You have done Brighton! How dare you! That's really annoying but can you tell me how you found the process and are the publishers nice to deal with?’ And she said yes they were and suggested I check the series and try to find somewhere else close by. I had always thought that Chichester had a great history and depth to it and so that's what I have done.

“It's a book that takes various angles. You have to try to find interesting backstories to things that people perhaps pass by, things that are a little bit hidden off the radar and quirky but things that are interesting. The publishers really like to have a broad range of things and not just famous buildings but really the first thing I saw was the wishbone sign in East Street (outside what used to be Shippam's) and there is just such an interesting story there.”

Partly finding the places of interest was a question of walking around, partly it was reading and research, but also joining local history societies, always such a wealth of knowledge: “It meant that I could get some good history for places like Midhurst and Selsey.”

It also enabled Norman to latch onto curiosities such as the wisteria on the old Royal West Sussex Hospital and also the mini picture palace at New Park. Arundel, Littlehampton and Bognor Regis also offer up their own fascinating spots, taking in ice cream explorations and unique cafes to Alice in Wonderland and chart-topping nuns.

The book looks as far east as Goring-by-Sea and Coolham, highlighting sights as different as a pub with poignant WWII memories, and the world's only large-scale copy of Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel Ceiling in Rome.

Elsewhere, you can discover in the book Slindon's pivotal role in the birth of cricket, Selsey's musical tie to the BBC's most famous radio series, the tranquil rural hideaway tied to the naming of a US state and one of the best star-gazing spots.