Attraction in East Sussex

Arundel Castle in West Sussex is one of the most imposing and most completely realised medieval castle complexes in England, a seat of the Dukes of Norfolk and their Howard ancestors that dominates the town of Arundel and the Arun Valley in a composition of towers and battlements restored and augmented in the Victorian period to create one of the most romantically appealing castle silhouettes in the south of England. The castle is among the few remaining in England still occupied by the same family as in the medieval period, the Howards having held the castle and the hereditary office of Earl Marshal of England for over 400 years. The castle has medieval origins in the Norman conquest, when Roger de Montgomery built the original motte and bailey castle shortly after 1066. The subsequent development over several centuries produced the combination of keep, gatehouse, walls and residential buildings that form the core of the current complex, substantially augmented and restored by the fifteenth Duke of Norfolk in the late nineteenth century in one of the most ambitious Victorian Gothic restoration projects in the country. The result is a castle that appears more completely medieval than the original fabric alone would justify but that achieves a visual coherence and dramatic quality that makes it one of the most impressive castle experiences in England. The interior of the castle contains a remarkable collection of paintings, furniture and heraldic objects reflecting the long history of the Norfolk family, and the grounds include a Victorian walled garden and a glasshouse of considerable horticultural interest.

Brighton Palace Pier is the most famous and most visited pleasure pier in Britain, a Victorian masterpiece of seaside engineering stretching more than half a kilometre into the English Channel from the Brighton seafront and supporting a full complement of amusements, fairground rides, fast food outlets and the traditional pleasures of the seaside pier that have been entertaining visitors since its opening in 1899. The pier is one of the defining images of Brighton and of British seaside culture more broadly, its elaborate oriental-influenced pavilions and towers at the pierhead, illuminated at night in a blaze of light reflected in the sea below, representing the Victorian ambition to create pleasure architecture of theatrical extravagance. The pier was built by the Brighton Marine Palace and Pier Company between 1891 and 1899 to replace the earlier Chain Pier that had stood nearby until its destruction in a storm in 1896. The design by Richard St George Moore drew on the Moorish and oriental decorative traditions that were fashionable in seaside entertainment architecture of the period, producing a building that combined structural engineering ambition with an exuberant visual character quite different from the functionalism of most industrial construction of the era. The ornate pavilions and towers at the pierhead, the fish scale roof tiles and the cast iron supporting structure constitute one of the most complete examples of Victorian pleasure architecture remaining in Britain. The current programme of attractions on the pier, while firmly in the tradition of popular seaside entertainment, has been developed and updated with modern fairground rides, a helter-skelter and various thrill attractions alongside the traditional slot machines and food stalls. The views from the end of the pier back toward the Brighton seafront, with the i360 observation tower rising above the art deco terraces of the seafront, are among the finest of any seaside town in England. Brighton's position as a major arts, culture and nightlife destination adds considerable depth to the pier as a day trip attraction, and the combination of beach, pier, Pavilion and the independent shops of the Lanes makes Brighton one of the most rewarding day trips from London.