The town of Arundel in West Sussex is overlooked by Arundel Castle and
the Roman Catholic cathedral, which was built through the support of the
Duke of Norfolk, but the history of Arundel is built on much more than
the castle and the dukes and earls. Secret Arundel unveils the
lesser-known stories of its townspeople and events. These include the
wartime German spy scandal that rocked the town's Home Guard and saw its
second-in-command jailed in 1940, how escaped German POWs concealed
themselves in a top-secret bunker that was originally intended to house
resistance fighters in the event of a Nazi invasion, and the history of
the town's jailhouse and some of those who found themselves locked
behind its iron bars. With no fewer than three priories, a friary, a
medieval church, a Gothic Revival cathedral and even a Commandery of the
Knights Hospitallers nearby, Arundel has had a long and fascinating
religious history. The town was also the site of a medieval Jewish
community and a stronghold for nonconformism. In Secret Arundel the
author explores the lost and disused churches and chapels dotted around
the town and its immediate surroundings as well as other unusual
stories. With tales of remarkable characters, unusual events and
tucked-away or disappeared historical buildings and locations, Secret
Arundel will appeal to all those with an interest in the history of this
town in West Sussex.
