A small cathedral city between the South Downs and the sea, with a Roman palace, a famous theatre and Goodwood next door.
Chichester is one of the most pleasant small cities in the south of England. It was founded by the Romans, whose street plan still shapes the centre, with four main streets meeting at an ornate medieval market cross. The city walls survive around much of the old centre, and the cathedral spire rises above it all.
The city sits between the rolling hills of the South Downs and the creeks and beaches of Chichester Harbour, so it is a brilliant base for walking, sailing and days on the coast. It also has an unusually rich cultural life for its size, with a famous theatre and an excellent gallery. This guide covers six things to see and do, and how to get there.
1. Chichester Cathedral
Chichester Cathedral has stood at the heart of the city for more than nine hundred years. It was consecrated in 1108 and has been rebuilt and extended many times since. Its tall spire is a landmark for miles around, and it is said to be the only medieval English cathedral visible from the sea.
The spire you see today is actually a Victorian replacement. The original collapsed dramatically in 1861, falling in on itself, and it was rebuilt to the same design within a few years. The cathedral also has a separate bell tower standing apart from the main building, the only one of its kind left at an English cathedral.
Inside, the cathedral mixes the ancient and the modern in a way that surprises many visitors. There is a glowing stained glass window by Marc Chagall, a vibrant tapestry by John Piper behind the high altar, and paintings and sculptures by other leading modern artists. Look out too for the medieval stone carvings of the raising of Lazarus, among the finest Romanesque sculptures in England.
In the south aisle lies the Arundel Tomb, the medieval tomb of an earl and his countess holding hands, which inspired a famous poem by Philip Larkin. A glass panel in the floor reveals part of a Roman mosaic found beneath the building. Peregrine falcons nest on the cathedral each year, and in spring you can often watch them from the grounds. Entry is free, with donations welcome.
2. Fishbourne Roman Palace
Fishbourne Roman Palace, about a mile and a half west of the city, is the largest Roman residence ever found in Britain. It was discovered by accident in 1960, when workmen laying a water pipe dug into the remains. Excavations revealed a huge palace built in the first century, soon after the Roman conquest.
Nobody knows for sure who lived there, but many historians believe it may have been Togidubnus, a local British king who was friendly to Rome. The palace was built on a grand scale, with courtyards, gardens and dozens of rooms, many of them with mosaic floors. It was richer than almost any other house in Roman Britain.
The highlight of a visit is the mosaic floors, many of them still in the positions where they were laid nearly two thousand years ago. The most famous shows Cupid riding a dolphin, surrounded by sea creatures. A modern building protects the remains of one wing, so you can walk around the mosaics on raised walkways.
Outside, the Roman garden has been replanted following the original layout, using plants the Romans would have grown. A museum tells the story of the palace and the people who lived there, with objects found during the excavations. Allow a couple of hours. There is a café, and the site is easy to reach by car or on foot from the city.
3. Chichester Festival Theatre
Chichester Festival Theatre is one of the most important theatres in Britain, and it has a reputation far beyond its size. It opened in 1962, with Sir Laurence Olivier as its first artistic director, and its bold hexagonal building was one of the first modern theatres in the country with a thrust stage, where the audience sits on three sides of the action.
The theatre’s main season runs from spring to autumn, and it stages a mix of classic plays, new work and big musicals. Many of its productions have gone on to the West End and Broadway. Famous actors regularly appear on its stage.
Next to the main theatre is the Minerva, a smaller studio theatre where more intimate productions are staged. The two theatres sit in Oaklands Park, a pleasant green space just outside the city walls. There is a restaurant and a café.
Tickets for popular productions sell quickly, so it is worth booking ahead. A night at the theatre makes a lovely end to a day in the city. After a show, a car booked in advance saves looking for a taxi when the audience leaves.
4. Goodwood
Goodwood is a great country estate just north of Chichester, the home of the Dukes of Richmond for more than three hundred years. It is famous around the world for its motor racing and horse racing events, which draw huge crowds every summer. Goodwood House, the family home, is open to visitors on certain days.
The Festival of Speed, held each summer, is one of the biggest motoring events in the world. Historic and modern racing cars, supercars and motorcycles race up a hill climb through the grounds of the house, and there are displays of new cars from the world’s manufacturers. The Goodwood Revival, held each September at the motor circuit, is a celebration of racing from the 1940s to the 1960s, where everyone dresses in period clothes.
Glorious Goodwood, the summer horse racing festival, is one of the highlights of the flat racing season, held on a racecourse high on the Downs with wonderful views. There are race meetings through the season. The estate also has a golf course, a hotel, an airfield and a farm shop.
During the big events the roads around Goodwood become extremely busy, and parking can involve long walks. Booking a car with a drop off and pickup arranged in advance is one of the easiest ways to get there and back. Tickets for the major events sell out months ahead.
5. West Wittering and Chichester Harbour
West Wittering, about seven miles south west of Chichester, is one of the best beaches in the south of England. It is a wide, sandy beach at the mouth of Chichester Harbour, with shallow water that is lovely for paddling and swimming. On a clear day there are views across to the Isle of Wight.
At the western end of the beach is East Head, a sand spit looked after by the National Trust, with dunes and wildlife. It is a lovely place for a walk. The beach is popular with families, windsurfers and kitesurfers.
Chichester Harbour itself is a protected landscape of creeks, mudflats and marshes, rich in birdlife, especially in winter. Bosham, a pretty village on the harbour, has a church that appears in the Bayeux Tapestry, and legend says it is where King Canute tried to turn back the tide. At high tide the road along the shore floods, so check the tide times before parking there.
West Wittering gets extremely busy on hot summer days, and the car park can fill early in the morning. Being dropped off and collected is a good way to avoid the queue. Boat trips around the harbour leave from Itchenor in summer, and they are a lovely way to see the wildlife.
6. Pallant House Gallery and the South Downs
Pallant House Gallery, in the city centre, is one of the best galleries of modern British art in the country. It is set partly in a Queen Anne townhouse and partly in a modern extension. Its collection includes works by artists such as Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth, Lucian Freud and Peter Blake.
The gallery holds exhibitions that change through the year, and it has a café with a courtyard garden. It is a small gallery, easy to see in a couple of hours, but its quality is outstanding. The historic house itself is worth seeing too.
North of the city, the South Downs rise in rolling chalk hills, and they are part of a national park. The Weald and Downland Living Museum, at Singleton, has more than fifty historic buildings rescued from across the south of England and rebuilt in a lovely valley. It is a fascinating place to learn about rural life over the centuries.
Arundel, about ten miles east, has a spectacular castle, a cathedral and a pretty town beside the River Arun. The South Downs Way passes close by for walkers. A car makes it easy to combine the Downs, Arundel and the museum in a single day.
Getting there and getting around
Chichester station is a short walk from the city centre, on the south coast line, with direct trains to London Victoria in around an hour and a half, and to Brighton, Portsmouth and Southampton. The A27 runs past the city along the coast.
Southampton Airport is about forty miles west, and Gatwick is about fifty miles north east, each around an hour by road. Heathrow is around an hour and a half away. A car booked ahead is the easiest way to travel between Chichester and the airports, and to reach Goodwood, West Wittering and the Downs.
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