Arundel, Sussex

Arundel Castle

Arundel Castle in Arundel, West Sussex, England is a restored medieval castle. It was founded by Roger de Montgomery on Christmas Day 1067. Roger became the first to hold the earldom of Arundel by the graces of William the Conqueror. The castle was damaged in the English Civil War and then restored in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Arundel Castle

From the 11th century onward, the castle has served as a hereditary stately home and has been in the family of the Duke of Norfolk for over 400 years. It is still the principal seat of the Norfolk family. From the Tourist Information Office follow the High Street down the hill and you will find Tarrant Street leading off to the right.

Trinity Congregational Church

First you come, on the lefthand side, to the former Independent (Congregational) Church which George MacDonald pastored. It is now occupied as Nineveh House Antiques - 'Collectibles, Crafts & Interior Designs'.

Trinity Congregational Church

George MacDonald ministered here from 1850 to the end May 1853. His experience was mixed. For the first time he was able to set up home with Louisa but he also suffered from continued ill health; and faced opposition from a section of the Church which eventually forced him to resign. It would be the last church he pastored full time.

Trinity Congregational Church

Inside the chapel there are now 14 units on the two floors and, if it is open, it is possible for you to go in and explore.

48 Tarrant Street, Arundel

Further down the street on the opposite side of the road is his former home at number 48 Tarrant Street. There is a blue plaque on the wall.

48 Tarrant Street, Arundel

George and Louisa married in March 1851 and, within a year they had their first child Lilia.

48 Tarrant Street, Arundel

In a letter to his Father he wrote, "I firmly believe that people have hitherto been a great deal too much taken up about doctrine and far too little about practice. The word doctrine, as used in the Bible, means teaching of duty, not theory. I preached a sermon about this. We are far too anxious to be definite and to have finished, well polished, sharp-edged systems -- forgetting that the more perfect a theory about the infinite, the surer it is to be wrong, the more impossible it is to be right. I am neither Arminian nor Calvinist. To no system would I subscribe..."

48 Tarrant Street, Arundel