Things to Do in Chichester

Chichester is one of the UK’s many cathedral cities and is located in the picturesque county of West Sussex. It’s the only city in the county and is also the county town.

Location

Located in West Sussex, despite its rather small population (23,730 people according to the most recent figures), Chichester remains one of the most popular cities in the UK.

Things to do in Chichester

If you’re looking for live music, La Havana, is definitely worth taking a look at. There are open mic nights and a jazz club.

Chichester boasts a large history and culture, all of which is accessible and affordable. The Novium is the museum that people should go to if you’re looking to learn more about Chichester. Goodword House is another place for you to visit, built in 1697 by Charles Lennox, it’s one of the oldest buildings not just in Chichester but the UK.

If you’re looking to watch films, then Chichester has a number of cinemas located across the city, the most prominent of which is Cineworld, which is usually the most popular owing to its tiered seating and comfy seats.

Transport

The city also has its own train station, the Chichester Railway Station, which has regular services to Brighton, London, Portsmouth and Southampton.

There are also a number of bus services that operate in the city, such as Stagecoach and South Downs and Compass Travel. The Poole-Gatwick Airport route of National Express also operates in the city as well.

The city also has an airport, which is the Chichester/Goodwood Airport, sometimes called Goodwood Airfield or Goodwood Aerodrome.

Universities in the City

There are two higher education providers in the city, Chichester College and the University of Chichester.

Chichester College was established in 1964, it was originally called Chichester College of Arts, Science and Technology. The college was awarded the “Outstanding” certification by Ofsted in 2014. The college has a number of students from the Falkland Islands, as the Falkland Island government pay the college to educate students in National Diplomas and in NVQs.

The college also has a commercial farm, which students can visit and even work on as part of practical assignments for various courses.

The University of Chichester, was originally established in 1977 as the West Sussex Institute of Higher Education, however, it rebranded many times over the course of its history, eventually becoming a fully-fledged university in October 2005.

History and Culture

The city was a very significant settlement during the Roman invasion of 43 AD. The city’s centre is actually built on the foundations of the British-Roman settlement Noviomagus Reginorum. The city did have an amphitheatre that was built in 80 AD, however, the amphitheatre was eventually taken down and the city park now covers it, although the mound where it once stood can still be seen.

It is thought that there are a number of perfectly preserved Roman buildings underneath the city that have remained intact owing to good town planning and the fact that many of the city’s structure’s foundations have not been touched since Roman times.

In 1642, the First English Civil War broke out and Chichester was besieged at Christmas time, with St. Pancras church being destroyed. After repeated attacks on the city, a military presence was established in 1795, although the city eventually decided to do away with a military presence in 2014 in order to develop the site for housing.

Sport

The main football club in the city is Chester City FC. The club plays at Oaklands Park and play in the Sussex County League. The city’s rugby club Chichester RFC are also at Oaklands Park.

The city is also home to an American football club, called the Chichester Sharks Flag American Football Club, who play in the BAFA National League. The club won the National Championship in October 2007.

There is also a cricket club in the city, called Chichester Priory Park Cricket Club, who share a clubhouse with the Chichester Priory Park Hockey Club at Priory Park.

Who’s from Chichester?

There are plenty of notable people that come from Chichester too including; Peter Baldwin, Hugh Dennis, Harriet Barber, Christopher Fry, Ian Lloyd and Tom Odell.