Arundel - Fitzalan Chapel

There were at least two earlier churches on or near the site of the present one, of which fragments remain in the exterior walls or elsewhere in the building. The church which we see today was begun around 1380, almost certainly to the designs of celebrated architects Henry Yeveley and William Wynford, whose work may be seen in the naves of Canterbury and Winchester Cathedrals.


Built in flint and local stone, the church consists of two separate though integral parts, a chancel and nave. The church's chancel was originally used by a small College of Canons. However, at the Reformation it was seized along with the Priory buildings by the 12th Duke of Arundel, Henry Fitzalan, and subsequently became the private property of the Earl and his descendants. Today it serves as the burial place for the Dukes of Norfolk.

Over the years the fabric of the church has suffered little alteration, but the interior arrangements have been frequently altered following religious upheavals and changes in architectural and liturgical fashion.

The Fitzalan Chapel is the chancel of the church of St Nicholas. It is used as the private mausoleum of the Earls of Arundel and the Dukes of Norfolk.

The original Fitzalan Chapel consisted of the entire building, and was built as the Collegiate Church of the Holy Trinity in 1380 by commission of Richard FitzAlan, 4th Earl of Arundel,. The chapel was badly damaged in 1643 during the siege of Arundel Castle by the Parliamentarians' cannons during the English Civil War. It remained neglected throughout the 18th century. During this period, the Anglican parish was established in the western portion of the church building, while the chancel stayed catholic.