Britain at its best: In the exquisite ancient city of Chichester, home to a ‘mini-Tate’ art gallery, a striking cathedral and a Roman palace larger than the Queen’s London residence
- Rebecca Ford ventured into Chichester to explore the city and surrounding area
- The Pallant House Gallery houses a ‘dazzling selection of modern British art’
- The cathedral now boasts “medieval carvings and grandiose tombs.”
As we shuffle across a muddy field on the outskirts of Chichester, Rob Symmons bends down and plucks something out of the ground, like a prospector discovering a nugget.
“Yes,” he nods. “It’s part of a Roman roof tile.” He wipes off some of the mud and hands it to me. “It was probably made locally.”
History runs deep in this corner of West Sussex. Rob is the curator of Fishbourne Roman Palace, an ancient building that was itself long buried underground.
Despite being a city, Rebecca Ford says Chichester ‘feels like a market town’
Built in the 1st century AD, it stood for around 200 years until it was abandoned after a fire and only rediscovered in 1960 when a worker was digging a trench for a new aqueduct.
Excavations gradually revealed the remains of a magnificent building with mosaic floors, underfloor heating, a bathhouse and formal gardens. Bigger than Buckingham Palace, it was clearly designed to impress.
Fishbourne is situated near the head of one of Chichester Harbour’s tidal bays. Covering more than 9,000 hectares, this vast natural harbor with its creeks and salt marshes is some distance southwest of the city.
A view of Chichester’s 16th Century Market Cross with the Cathedral behind
Inside the Pallant House Gallery, an elegant Queen Anne town house, visitors will find a “dazzling array of modern British art”.
Artwork: Chichester Cathedral is a Norman building with “medieval carvings and grandiose tombs”
A stained glass window by modernist artist Marc Chagall in Chichester Cathedral
Today it is known for its abundant bird life, a place where herons glide silently through the reeds and curlews call from muddy mudflats – but in AD 43 it was a safe haven for invading Roman forces. The conquerors installed Togidubnus, a supporting tribal ruler, as regional governor. He made sure there was no local resistance and was rewarded with this palace.
Chichester, a few miles to the east, has similarly ancient origins – the Romans called it Noviomagus Reginorum ‘New Market of the Proud People’ – but this is not a city that felt held back by history. Far from it.
Perhaps the most famous landmark is the Festspielhaus just outside the old city walls. This modernist building celebrates its 60th anniversary this year.
His stage breathed new life into British theater and staged Chichester to become a home for contemporary art. In the Pallant House Gallery, an elegant Queen Anne townhouse, I find a dazzling array of modern British art.
The gallery was built for a wealthy wine merchant who was said to enjoy looking out onto the rooftop terrace to keep an eye out for distant ships carrying his cargo. The gallery feels like a mini Tate, but quieter and less crowded.
The core collection was bequeathed by an art lover – Walter Hussey, Dean of Chichester Cathedral from 1955-1977.
Then I walk over to the Duomo and discover that, like the city itself, it is full of striking juxtapositions. It is a Norman building with medieval carvings and grandiose tombs.
But there’s also a stained glass window by modernist artist Marc Chagall, glowing crimson against the soft gray stone.
Despite being a city, Chichester feels like a market town. There’s a 16th-century market cross, a jumble of medieval and Georgian architecture, but its Roman heritage refuses to be forgotten.
In the Novium Museum I find the remains of a public bathhouse. It was built around AD 69 and discovered in the 1970s when authorities were attempting to build a multi-story parking garage.
