Portal:West Sussex/Selected article/1

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Arundel Castle in West Sussex, England, is one of the most impressive and complete castles remaining in Britain. Construction on the original fortification began during the reign of Edward the Confessor (r. 1042–1066) and was completed by Roger de Montgomery, who incidentally became the first to hold the earldom by the graces of William the Conqueror.

From the 11th century onward, the castle has served as a hereditary stately home to several families (with a few and brief reversions to the Crown) and is currently the principal seat of the Duke of Norfolk and his family (grid reference TQ019074).

Arundel Castle was built in 1068 during the reign of Edward the Confessor as a fortification for the River Arun and a defensive position for the surrounding land. The original structure was a Motte and Bailey castle before undergoing an extensive renovation during the reign of William the Conqueror which enlarged the motte and improved the defences. Roger de Montgomery is believed to have been declared the first Earl of Arundel as William the Conqueror granted him the property as part of a much larger package of hundreds of manors. (For other reasons, the generally accepted first creation of the title Earl of Arundel lies in the year 1138 with William d'Aubigny, confirmed in 1155).