Arundel Now and Then

OF the people who responded to our survey four now live abroad, the others in the UK. One might have expected the former to have a different perspective, being able to review their native town from a greater distance, but this did not prove to be the case. The location of our respondents ranged worldwide, from the West Coast of America to New Zealand. Fascinating too to read the wide variety of people’s current occupations, from a job working for the Church of England on the Living in Love and Faith projects to involvement on the costumes side of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s new production of ‘Cinderella’. One common theme though was that they all had fond memories of the pleasures of their Arundel childhood and great appreciation of the town’s facilities and ambience whenever they return.

ATTRACTIONS
It is reassuring to know that most of the places and pursuits enjoyed by everyone when they were young still exist, namely the Castle, the churches, the Priory Playhouse, Swanbourne Lake and its boats, Arundel Park, the playpark, the Lido, the Wildfowl and Wetlands centre and the Mill Road putting-green, not forgetting the many beautiful country walk possibilities on the doorstep. Lovely too that all these are enjoyed by visiting grandchildren, except for one dissenting voice whose offspring prefer Brighton! However, a mother of three boys says, “They love coming to Arundel, it feels to them as it did to me as a child, a small place they can walk and scooter round and it feels like a second home to them.” As another respondent put it,” A childhood in Arundel felt magical, we had lots of freedom and felt like it was our town. I hope the kids there today feel the same way!”

And some things never change; “The view from Crossbush as you approach has always taken my breath away” and “There is nothing like the feeling of driving back from the airport when we come home, coming down the hill towards the station and first seeing the town in the distance. It gets me every time!”

RETAIL OUTLETS
It cannot be denied that in contrast to the timeless attractions mentioned above, much has changed on the commercial front. There were regrets for the total disappearance of banks from Arundel and practical shops such as a greengrocer, Payne’s the ironmonger and the High Street chemist, also the traditional Teddy Bear Shop, not forgetting the marvellous outdoor and hiking shop Peglers.

“I miss the Arundel of my childhood – the two butchers’ shops, the greengrocer’s, the draper’s shop, the Co-op clothing shop (where we got our cheap jeans) and the little corner shops and sweet shops”. However the range of independent shops in the town was appreciated. With a few notable exceptions the turnover of cafes, restaurants, gift shops and small specialist shops has been high and yet the current tally of these now easily outnumbers the antique shops. 

It was noted that a considerable number of the specialist shops now seem geared to tourists rather than Arundel residents, but with Larkins, Pallant, the Co-Op, Gaskyns and the butcher’s one can buy everything required to keep body and soul together without leaving the town. A really positive and beneficial innovation has been the start and growth of the monthly Farmers’ Market, where one can buy the freshest of vegetables as well as an excellent variety of goods, appreciated by residents and visitors alike. This satisfies green criteria as well as bringing more people into the town, hopefully boosting the town’s economy.

One respondent reminisces “I also worked for 6 years at Partners Restaurant. This was great for Dunlop’s stable lads would come in on a Saturday morning”. Alas, John Dunlop’s stable is no more. This person also did a paper round every morning before school and at weekends.

The dwindling number of pubs in Arundel is highlighted by some. The Abercrombie, now long gone, was a source of much evening entertainment for some and for one of our respondents, the Victory on Bond Street/King Street was home when her family first came to Arundel in 1967. In its heyday Arundel had a total of 28 pubs, catering for an obviously extremely thirsty townspeople!

The number of visitors to the town has increased substantially over the years, which has inevitably affected the nature of retail businesses. One of our contributors felt that our tourists these days were ‘indulged’, a striking way of expressing it!

EVENTS
The Arundel Festival featured favourably in the responses. “The Arundel Festival has grown in popularity and size since I lived in Arundel, which I think has helped develop the town and welcomed new visitors to the town” and ‘The Festival especially is so much fun. I feel hugely lucky that as a teenager I had weekend jobs at great cafes and shops in the town, as well as being involved in the festival and church events, much of which is still there.” Arundel by Candlelight was mentioned as a definite plus for the town and the old annual Carnival was remembered fondly too. “As a child growing up there was a strong community feel in the town. Whenever there was an event everyone from the town got involved. An example of this was the yearly Carnival. I get the impression this is not the case anymore”. However, “I love the fact that there’s a rich cultural side to Arundel – so many interesting and creative people living in the town”.

COMMUNITY/AMBIENCE
In spite of some minor changes in the town, most of our correspondents mentioned the sense of community they experience on their return visits. The comparatively small size of Arundel must help, also the town’s concerted response to the problems of lockdown, but this does not detract from the impression that the inhabitants of Arundel care about and for each other. “It’s a lovely friendly town with a strong sense of community”. “Arundel has retained its charm”. “There’s something very special about Arundel which remains. And when I cycle down Tarrant Street I still feel as though I’m 9!”

“Happily I don’t think Arundel has changed that much! It still feels like there is a real sense of community which sits alongside the more transient nature of the tourists we welcome each summer”.

DOWNSIDES
Constructive criticism is always to be heeded and valued and no-one is under the impression that Arundel is a perfect town. Concern was expressed that the increasing number of tourists might impact on and alter the character of the town. Another observation in a similar vein ‘While the shops are lovely nowadays I feel they are too expensive for ‘ordinary’ people-the town now seems solely aimed at the comfortably well-off”.

A worrying change in the occupation of houses is that there are now many more second homes and Airbnb’s in Arundel. This inevitably has the effect of reducing the number of homes for first-time buyers. “I doubt many local youngsters can afford to buy a house there unless they’re from a rich background” and “There is a lack of affordable housing in Arundel for first-time buyers and a lack of push to develop them”. In fact there have been and still are campaigns to try and convince developers that the town does NOT need more luxury apartments for retired people, but affordable housing.

Another complaint was the lack of facilities and activities for young people, particularly in their teenage years. Most people left Arundel to continue their education and one person admitted that they were bored as they grew older because of the lack of opportunities for young people.

A GREENER ARUNDEL
The younger generation are by and large more aware of green issues although we are all aware of the issues around climate-change. Arundel is a free-trade town, which is a point in its favour, and with regard to low carbon footprints, fresh local produce can be bought both at Pallant and the Farmers’ Market. The Arundel Bee Project is up and running and the new Pollinators’ Garden has transformed a scruffy space into a delightful green oasis. The Community Apiary in Herington’s Field also has at least two active hives. On the question of food waste, one of our contributors supplied a novel solution. “I have noticed in London a new App that allows restaurants and cafes to put aside food that will go to waste at the end of the day. People are encouraged to pay a small amount to ‘rescue’ this food, to ensure there is no food waste”.

The Arundel bypass I think is a great shame and I hope that one day when I return, I do not have to drive along a road that has destroyed the beautiful scenery and landscape of Arundel

Arundel is beset by the perennial problem of pollution from motor vehicles. It is to be hoped that the planned new bypass will improve this and prevent motorists racing through the town, but an alternative view expressed was “The Arundel bypass I think is a great shame and I hope that one day when I return, I do not have to drive along a road that has destroyed the beautiful scenery and landscape of Arundel”.

STRATEGIES FOR THE FUTURE
There were many eminently sensible suggestions and a consensus that Arundel lacked opportunities and attractions for young people. One young male contributor ruled out any possibility of returning to Arundel to live and felt the town would be improved by, “Bars, cafes and restaurants that attract a younger crowd and atmosphere”. Most people viewed it as a delightful place in which to spend leisure time during their return visits but not somewhere to which they would move back permanently (though there were one or two exceptions!).

One person felt strongly that the town would be a better place if there were fewer commuters and maintained that a town without a train station generated more community spirit – an interesting point!

A review of the parking restrictions was recommended- probably equivalent to untying the Gordian knot! It was suggested that lower shop rents would slow down the continual changes in retail occupiers.

Arundel does sadly lack a town community space which brings everyone together: a specialist community centre with amenities to support the community was seen as the answer. “In today’s society, with busy lifestyles, I think it is hard to get to know people, so anything that brings people together and encourages community, particularly those new to the area (would be good).”. One idea was a yoga/fitness and art studio people could drop in to use – the originator of this idea even thought she might open one!

An insightful suggestion for the future was that there should be more development in the town to consider the environment and how we can make Arundel an eco- friendlier town in the hope of tackling climate change. The food waste app mentioned above certainly comes under this heading. Transport links too came under scrutiny and it was felt that an improvement in these would definitely benefit the town, for example a regular bus service connecting Worthing, Arundel and Chichester.

Finally a special mention for the contributor who commented, “I also enjoy reading the Bell magazine when I come home to visit, however I think it is sad to see the sameness of talk of dog poo on Tarrant Street and the conversation on the bypass”!

We would like to thank the following respondents for taking part in the survey:-
Grace Burgess; Alice Churchill; Amy Holland Crafton; Douglas Eve; Tabitha Hawkins; Charlotte Higlett; Emily Higlett; Georgina Morgan; Truuske Odde; Alistair Scrimgeour; Joel Smith; David Stedman; Emily Waring; James Whitaker.