Sussex Day 3: Chichester and Fishbourne

Saturday, November 6, 2021

After a pleasant breakfast at a cafe in The Lanes, we met up with Celeste at the Brighton train station and rode to Chichester, about an hour to the west. Chichester is a pleasant (and yes, touristy) town with a notable cathedral. Arriving somewhat late, we walked through the town and then found lunch at a small restaurant on a side road as many of the major restaurants in town were quite crowded (it is a Saturday, after all).

One of the main attractions in the area is the Fishbourne Roman Palace, one village to the west. We set out on foot, through a bit of rain, for a walk of a couple of miles. But when we arrived it was well worth the trip. This is an actual Roman palace, constructed in about 79AD, that had been uncovered starting in the 1960s, along with many coins, implements, and other artifacts. The mosaic floors were large and particularly impressive. As a teenager, I got to visit the ruins in Pompeii; these were of a similar nature. This palace and surrounding settlements were key to the Roman development of infrastructure in England.

Returning from Fishbourne to Chichester, we made a short visit to Chichester Cathedral. Unfortunately, the sun had set and it was difficult to see most of the stained glass. At the time of our visit, there was a large model of the Moon, traveling to several locations in Europe, that was hanging from the ceiling in the middle of the church. It was a striking thing to see, especially as we first entered.

After our train trip back from Chichester, we parted with Celeste who returned to campus. Since it was a Saturday night, restaurants were crowded, but we were able to get dinner at a large chain pub, Wetherspoons. The pub was noisy and table service was minimal. We ordered via their website and they only cleared the previous patrons’ dirty dishes when they delivered our food. The food was acceptable, but nothing to blog about.

This article is part of a series about our recent travels to southern England. To see the introductory article in the series, click here.