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Clock tower in High Street
Chichester, 28-07-1996
Market crossA pleasant day trip.
"First time there."
Despite my numerous ramblings around the South of England, I had never been to Chichester until last week, a sad omission. I found a very pleasant Sussex town with a bit to do, had a great breakfast , discovered a beautiful canal I didn't know existed, visited a cathedral and came home happy.
Like many places in England, the name derived from "caester" meaning a Roman settlement. In this case the Saxons who arrived following the Roman withdrawal were led by a man called Cissa, hence Cissa's Caester which has become Chichester.
The Saxons, in their turn, were superceded by the Normans, who built a castle there.
An event which increased the importance of the town was the arrival of a bishop in 1075 and the subsequent building of a cathedral. This cathedral has been rebuilt more than once since.
Over the centuries, the fortunes of the town waxed and waned, with wool export and needle making and other trades coming and going and various religious institutions arriving and then departing.
Today, it is a lively place, and worth a visit.
