The trains from Worthing to Chichester take 30 minutes and run every half hour. What is great about this is the fact that the railway station is close by the very heart of the ancient city. In the centre is the Cross and the streets run North, South, East and West so you can’t get lost! The medieval Cross is an elaborate structure of pointed arches and was built originally about 1470 and repaired again in 1746.
The city is a delight to explore especially the Cathedral, which was originally founded in 1075 has both Norman and Gothic architecture. It is a treasure trove of art works old and new. There are rare medieval sculpture, tapestries and stained glass. It is famous as the resting place of the composer Gustav Holst and a window by Marc Chagall – although I prefer the 14th century windows for their intricacy and colour. I was also delighted to see a Della Robbia plaque on the wall, which I imagine is 14th century Italian.
We stopped for afternoon tea in Patisserie Valerie on North Street. We had a selection of finger sandwiches, small quiches, miniature cakes, scones with jam, cream and butter plus a pot of tea each. Needless to say, we ate the lot! Included in the deal was a box of four large cakes to take home. Delicious! This gave us the impetus to carry on with our sightseeing.
We went to the Novium Museum, just off West Street in Tower Street. The museum is built over the remains of a Roman bathhouse with three floors of exhibitions telling the story of Chichester. We did not have the grandchildren with us, but I would say it would be a great place to take a family. We particularly enjoyed the Lego exhibition with its model train spouting real steam!
There is plenty to see in Chichester – too much for just a day visit, but I would recommend a stay there in order to see more. There are other museums and galleries, theatres, Goodwood motor circuit, racecourse and aerodrome plus beaches, gardens and walks.
