West Sussex offers some of the most picture-perfect countryside in England. Meadows, hop fields, and forests
nestle in rolling hills where the only movement comes from grazing sheep and roaming deer. Charming thatched-roof cottages and country pubs seem untouched by modern civilization.
Between the South Downs and the
expanse of the Amberley Wildbrooks--a preserved wetland and nature reserve--the massive fortified castle of Amberley welcomes you to a genuine castle experience.
THE PAST Obviously, security
was once an important consideration here. Marauding brigands and assaulting armies never had a chance when confronted by the castle's massive, sixty-foot-high stone walls, soaring battlements, iron portcullis, and moat.
In 672 the Saxon king Caedwalla gave the lands where the castle now sits to Saint Wilfred, first bishop of Selsey. Eventually the property passed to the bishop of Chichester.
Around 1100 Bishop Ralph Luffa of
Chichester embarked on an ambitious building program in Sussex. (The first cathedral of Chichester and parts of the East Wing and Small Hall at Amberley still exist.) Not much is known of the period until 1377, when
King Richard II granted a license to crenellate to Bishop William Rede. The bishop then built the castle's tremendous curtain wall.
Bishops lived quite a luxurious lifestyle back then, and their persons and
possessions were coveted by peasants and French pirates who came up the Arun River from the coast. These men of the cloth required serious protection. Amberley's bishops could swiftly mete out justice to any local
agitators and made use of the castle's oubliette. (Only one other still exists in such good condition in England.)
Not until the Civil War did Amberley suffer the ravages of battle. When the Royalist, John Goring, who
lived in the castle in 1643, declared that he wasn't going to pay any more taxes to those "odious" Roundheads, Cromwell's soldiers laid the castle's Great Hall to waste. Several years later King Charles II visited the
loyal Mr. Goring at the castle. A second royal visit from this king inspired the mural in the Queen's Room, which is now the dining room.
The fifteenth duke of Norfolk bought the property in 1893 and began the long
restoration work that is being continued by the present owners.
THE PRESENT The only threatening presence here nowadays comes from the peacocks who stand sentry duty on the walls and
grass-covered moat, which now serves as a croquet lawn. Through the portcullis, you enter a large courtyard where a stone walkway leads to the hotel.
Guest accommodations have come a long way from the dank oubliettes.
Each uniquely decorated room bears a medieval ambiance and is named for a Sussex castle. Proprietress Joy Cummings has furnished each with antiques, brass or four-poster beds, and fabrics in lovely shades of
turquoise and terra-cotta or lilac and pale green. The Herstmonceux and Pevensey rooms each have a secret doorway leading to the battlements, and the Arundel and Amberley rooms have gas fireplaces and stunning windows
set in stone recesses. The Chichester Room, decorated in shades of deep red and blue, not only has a fireplace and beamed ceiling, but a six-foot-long four-poster bed and an enormous bathroom with an outstanding
view from its oversize whirlpool bath.
In the barrel-vaulted Queen's Room Restaurant, you can feast on classic French and traditional English cuisine served on Wedgwood china and Dartington
crystal. Lancet windows provide views of the graceful English countryside.
Amberley, Nr. Arundel, West Sussex BN18 9ND. Tel: 011-44-1798-831-992. Fax: 011-44-1798-831-998.
Rooms: 15; all with bath. Rates: Very expensive; doubles from £130; includes breakfast and tax. Dates closed: Open all year. Dining facilities: Restaurant. Children:
No discounts. Facilities for disabled: None. On-site recreation: Archery; shooting; falconry; croquet; horseback riding. Nearby diversions:
Golf; ballooning; Arundel Castle; Glyndebourne; Chichester Cathedral; Petworth House; Goodwood House. Proprietors: Joy and Martin Cummings. Operated as a hotel since: 1989. U.S.
representative: Josephine Barr; Small Luxury Hotels of the World; Euro-Connection.
Directions: From London, take A24 south. Turn west on A283 to Storrington. In Storrington,
continue southwest on B2139. The castle is on the right and is marked by a very small signpost. Try to arrive during daylight.
