Arundel Cathedral of Our Lady & St Philip Howard — Attraction in Arun

The Cathedral Church of Our Lady and St Philip Howard is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Arundel, West Sussex, England. Dedicated in 1873 as the Catholic parish church of Arundel, it became a cathedral at the foundation of the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton in 1965. It now serves as the seat of the Bishop of Arundel and Brighton.

Contents

1History

2Organist

3Events

4Gallery

5See also

6References

7External links

History[edit]



The nave

The cathedral's location, construction, design, and dedication owe much to the Howard family, who, as Dukes of Norfolk and Earls of Arundel are the most prominent English Catholic family, and rank first (below the royal family) in the Peerage of England. Since 1102 the seat of the Howards' ancestors has been Arundel Castle. In 1664, Roman Catholic worship was suppressed in England by the Conventicle Act, and all churches and cathedrals in England were transferred to the Church of England. With the Catholic Emancipation Act of 1829, the foundation of Roman Catholic parishes became lawful once again. In 1868, Henry Fitzalan-Howard, 15th Duke of Norfolk, commissioned the architect Joseph Hansom to design a new Roman Catholic sanctuary as a suitable counterpart to Arundel Castle. The architectural style of the cathedral is French Gothic, a style that would have been popular between 1300 and 1400—the period in which the Howards rose to national prominence in England. The building is Grade I listed and is regarded as one of the finest examples of Gothic Revival architecture in the French Gothic style in the country. The church was originally dedicated to Our Lady and St Philip Neri, but in 1971, following the canonisation of Philip Howard, 1st Earl of Arundel, and the reburial of his relics in the cathedral, the dedication was changed to Our Lady and St Philip Howard.

Organist[edit]



The sanctuary

In 2002, Elizabeth Stratford was appointed Organist and Master of the Choristers of the cathedral, becoming the first woman to hold the post of Director of Music in an English cathedral. Stratford was educated at St. Joseph's Catholic College, Bradford and then at the University of Huddersfield winning scholarships for voice, composition and organ from the RCO and other trusts. She studied at the University of Leeds with Gordon Stewart (organ), Simon Lindley (choir training) and Philip Wilby (composition).[2] She succeeded Alistair Warwick as the Organist and Director of Music of the cathedral, and she also teaches piano at Brighton College.

Events[edit]

The Cathedral was the location of a music video of Libera[3] but also of some of its concerts (2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2019).

Gallery[edit]



Nave looking west towards the entrance



Sanctuary from an oblique angle



West front





Interior



Arundel Cathedral 2012



Saint Philip Howard's shrine

See also[edit]

Catholicism portal

South East England portal

Grade I listed buildings in West Sussex

List of places of worship in Arun

References[edit]

^ Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1248090)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 10 November 2016.

^ "Musical Direction". Arundel Cathedral. Archived from the original on 22 January 2014. Retrieved 28 May 2013.

^ O Sanctissima (solo: Ben Philipp) - Libera Official, 2011 (YouTube).

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Arundel Cathedral.

Arundel Cathedral Website

Friends of Arundel Cathedral

360° panorama of...

Arundel Castle is an amazing day out. You can book online and at my time of writing you can get the Gold Pass for £21 if you avoid Gift Aid (I did because I'm poor). There are guides standing in most areas (if not quite EVERY area). They answer any question you could ask for with clear knowledge of the place. After a walk around the grounds when I first arrived, I entered the main castle at midday when it opened, and I left at just before 5 - when it closes. Trust me there is THAT much to marvel at. The guides really appreciate it (several of them expressed this to me) when you actually take the time to ENGAGE with what's infront of you, rather than just walk through glancing at everything. The craftsmanship on so many of the things, not just, for example, the ornate gold leaf clocks, but the tables and chests they're on top of. As such there is really great value for money. I loved the cafe because the wooden chairs and tables are all medieval style, so you can pretend you're royalty. The selection of main meals is a bit disappointing but the cake selection is amazing. The staff in the cafe were also very helpful and friendly. The prices are not cheap but neither are they outrageous. And the quality was high. The gift shop is really well stocked with all kinds of books and trinkets. All in all this was a really lovely place and the views from the castle are quite something. I would not really advise this place for small children - they simply won't appreciate it and will just rush through. But for those who love history, and this is living history because a lot of it is still being used by the family that owns it, I definitely recommend this. You can also park for free all day long if you grab a space along the very wide road that runs...

Not as old as you might think, and if you looked closely at the exterior there is a combination of the unfinished (lots of places for statues are empty, and there are many of them) and falling to pieces (many of the gargoyles are missing their spouts, some are gone altogether, and detail on some of the statues has been worn away). Inside you notice how sparse the decoration is; a few plaques and memorials on otherwise blank walls with what looks like a more recent crucifixion frieze embedded in the stonework, and that there is much less stained glasswork than you might expect (of course, this would be expected to be added to through collections and donations from the filled pews - hence the number of organ recitals and other such events these days). The grey metal spire(?) seems out of place with the stained, almost...