Chichester

Chichester
Population	23,731
OS grid reference	SU865045
District	Chichester
Shire county	West Sussex
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	CHICHESTER
Postcode district	PO19
Dialling code	01243
Police	Sussex
Fire	West Sussex
Ambulance	South East Coast
UK Parliament	Chichester

For the larger local government district, see Chichester (district).

For other uses, see Chichester (disambiguation).

Chichester is a small cathedral city in the south of England, in the county of West Sussex, with a population of 23,731, as of the 2001 Census. It is also a single civil parish, and one of six within England with the status of city.

Character

It is the administrative centre of the Chichester district, a largely rural area with a population of over 100,000. It is also the county town of West Sussex, home of West Sussex County Council.

The city is highly appealing architecturally, with a high concentration of Georgian buildings along the major and minor city streets. Its cathedral is also one of the country's most famous. The patron saint of the city is Saint Richard of Chichester, Bishop of Chichester in the 13th century.

The City of Chichester is twinned with:

• Chartres, France
• Ravenna, Italy

The 8 areas of Chichester Conservation

Conservation

The Chichester Conservation Area Character Appraisal was adopted as Supplementary Planning Guidance on the 8 March 2005 by the District Council's Executive Board.

The area encompasses the whole of the Roman town, with additions to every side: Northgate, Westgate, Southgate, and Eastgate. The Caledonian Road area to the south-east and Somerstown to the north are also included. Further to the north lies the separate conservation area around Graylingwell Hospital, and to the south, the Chichester Conservation Area has been extended recently to include the newly restored canal basin and part of the canal itself.

The conservation area has been split into eight 'character' areas, based on historic development, building type, uses and activities.

History

Roman times

Main article: Noviomagus Regensium

It has been argued that the area was a bridgehead for the Roman invasion of Britain. The city centre stands on the foundations of the Romano-British city of Noviomagus Regensium, capital of the Civitas Reginorum, and near to the Roman Palace of Fishbourne. According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle it was captured towards the close of the fifth century, by Ælle, and renamed after his son, Cissa. It was the chief city of the Kingdom of Sussex. The Roman Road of Stane Street, connecting Fishbourne Palace with London, passes through the city centre. The city streets have a cross-shaped layout, inherited from the Romans: radiating outwards from the medieval market cross lead the North, South, East and West shopping streets. Quite a lot of the city walls are in place, and may be walked along for some of their length.

Unusual franchise

For 300 years before the 19th century Reform Bills expanded the right to vote for members of Parliament to include most ordinary citizens, Chichester's residents had enjoyed that right. Famously, when the mayor restricted the vote to only Freemen in the election of 1660 for the Convention Parliament that organized the restoration of the monarchy, the House of Commons noted that "for One-and-twenty Parliaments, the Commonalty, as well as the Citizens, had had Voice in the electing of Members to serve in Parliament; and that thereupon the Committee were of Opinion, that the Commonalty of the said Borough, together with the free Citizens, have Right of Election" [1] and overturned the election, seating instead the candidate elected by the more-inclusive Commonality of Chichester, and jailing the mayor for two weeks for contempt because of his his wilful denial of the ancient rights.

Similar expanded voting eligibility in the boroughs of Tavistock, Ludgershall, Plymouth, Northampton and Abingdon was also recognized by that same Parliament.

Chichester Cross, 1831 illustration

Chichester Cross, 2002

Cathedral

Main article: Chichester Cathedral

Chichester Cathedral is dedicated to the Holy Trinity, and contains a shrine to Saint Richard of Chichester. Its spire, built of the weak local stone, collapsed suddenly and was rebuilt during the 19th century. Within the nave of the cathedral can be seen the remains of a Roman mosaic pavement. The Cathedral is unusual in the UK in having a separate bell tower a few metres away from the main building, rather than integrated into it. Within the Cathedral a tomb is kept which was the inspiration of the poem "An Arundel Tomb", by Philip Larkin.

Culture

The city is known for the annual Chichester Festivities, a three-week arts and music festival held in July.

Sport

Chichester City United FC play in the Sussex County League.

Festival Theatre

The city is home to the world-renowned Chichester Festival Theatre whose annual summer season attracts the highest calibre of actors, writers and directors and is widely considered one of the most important annual events in British theatre.

Pallant House Gallery

Pallant House Gallery has a major collection of art and in 2006 opened its new extension that houses the collection of Professor Sir Colin St John Wilson. It also has an exhibition programme.

Music

The city has an impressive music scene which includes everything from Blues to Baroque. With Regular Live Music Nights: This Charming Sound and Bully The Ugly Girls Bully The Ugly Girls

The Chichester Symphony Orchestra, founded in 1881, plays an important part in the cultural life of the area by maintaining its classical music tradition. In recent years the city has experienced an exciting growth of groups in various musical genres. Local band Hope of the States released their debut album The Lost Riots in January 2005 to wide acclaim. Golden Section (band) also released their debut album, Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release, in April 2007. Anthony Hegarty from Antony and the Johnsons Fame was born in Chichester and attended the local school St Richards Roman Catholic Primary School before moving to New York.

Chichester RAJF

A cornerstone of the Chichester music scene is Chichester RAJF, a four day festival of music and real ale held each July in tents beside the 13th century Guildhall in Priory Park. Founded in 1981 by members of Chichester Hockey Club as a fund-raising event, the festival has grown in size and ambition. In the early years the focus was on traditional jazz and featured performers such as Kenny Ball , Humphrey Lyttelton , and Kenny Baker. In the 1990s blues and R&B were introduced and more recently the festival has increased its capacity to 2000 persons and has offered a wide range of popular music including James Brown , Status Quo , Blondie , Boney M , Robert Cray , Hot Chocolate , Howard Jones , Go West , The Pretenders , The Drifters and Simple Minds. In 2007 Chichester RAJF is sponsored by international publishers, John Wiley & Sons, whose UK headquarters are located in Chichester.

Education

Infant, primary and secondary schools

Chichester is home to:

• Bishop Luffa School
• Central Church of England Junior School
• Chichester High School for Girls
• Chichester High School for Boys
• Lancastrian Infant School
• Prebendal School established in 1497.
• Rumboldswhyke Church of England Infant School
• St Richards Roman Catholic Primary School

Higher and further education institutions

• University of Chichester - initially Bishop Otter College, then became University College Chichester; it was more recently granted degree-awarding body status by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, becoming a full university. Whereas Chichester College has always been focused towards vocational qualifications, the University of Chichester has a more academic focus (mainly in The Arts).
• Chichester College - formerly Chichester College of Arts, Science and Technology; offers both foundation-level and degree-equivalent courses, mainly focused towards vocational qualifications for industry. The College has recently made significant investment in upgrading facilities, and is now offering a wider range of subject areas in its prospectus.

Transport

Roads

• A259
• A27

Rail

Chichester railway station, on the West Coastway Line, has regular services to Brighton, London Victoria via Gatwick Airport, Portsmouth, Southampton and Basingstoke. In the past there have been a branch line to Midhurst and a short-lived tramline to Selsey.

Fairtrade city

South Street

The Fairtrade Chichester Group was set up in November 2005 by local volunteers with two aims:

• The short-term aim was to achieve Fairtrade City accreditation for Chichester.
• The long-term aim was (and is) to use Fairtrade City accreditation as the springboard for spreading the provision of Fairtrade products in shops, cafes, businesses, schools and community organisations as widely as possible, and to promote among the people of Chichester the idea of Fairtrade and the role it has in the battle against world poverty.

References

• Alec Down. Roman Chichester. Chichester: Phillimore, 1988. ISBN 0-85033-435-7

External links

• Chichester RAJF website
• Chichester Hockey Club website
• Wiley website
• Chichester District Council Website
• Chichester Harbour Website
• The Website Of Chichester Festival Theatre
• St. John Ambulance: Chichester
• Fair Trade Chichester