It's almost exactly a year since I last went to Chichester. I know it's a very English thing to do, but I couldn't help but compare the weather: the bright, warm sunny days a year ago, and the cold, very windy and wet days on this trip. I thought I'd gone prepared, taking rain gear, sensible shoes, warmer clothes etc., but in the end - due to the strong winds - I still had to buy myself a warm scarf to wrap round my neck. However, the weather may not have been playing nicely, but Chichester is a lovely town and it was really good to be back there again.
What drew me there this week – as the last time - was an exhibition at the Pallant House Gallery. Its current major exhibition – The Shape of Things: Still Life in Britain - has been drawing brilliant reviews. The Guardian described it as a 'thrilling show', the Telegraph 'splendid'. There was also a ceramics exhibition I was keen to see. So, really, how could I not go?
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Why go to Chichester?
Apart from the Pallant House Gallery, an award-winning gallery that regularly puts on great exhibitions, there's the glorious Cathedral, the Chichester Festival Theatre, the Bishop's Palace Gardens and The Novium Museum. The Cathedral, Art Gallery, Gardens and Novium Museum are right in the centre and the Theatre only a short walk away - about 10-15 minutes - at the edge of the city.
Chichester is the only cathedral city in West Sussex and there's a been a settlement there since Roman and Saxon times. Indeed, you can walk the Roman walls and the Cathedral is a classic Norman building.
These walls are near a statue of the poet John Keats (1795-1821) who frequently visited Chichester.
The city is steeped in history and as you walk round, you can see evidence of this in the architecture from the Roman walls, Saxon and Norman buildings to many fine Georgian houses and buildings. This makes it a wonderfully attractive city to spend time in and explore.
This Saxon church above is the oldest occupied building in Chichester, and was built around 1050. It was almost opposite where I was staying.
The Market Cross stands at the crossroad of four major streets: North Street, South Street, West Street and East Street. It was built in the late 15th century as somewhere for poor people to sell their wares - hence 'market' cross. There were buskers there during my visit, not people selling 'wares', but the young pianist on the keyboard my first afternoon was very good, saying he was collecting money to go to music college, so I threw a little money into his box while enjoying his playing.
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How to get to Chichester
I drove. Living in SW London, it's an easy drive of about an hour and a half. But you can get there by train from London Victoria in a similar time.
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Where to stay
I decided to try a different place to stay this time and opted for Purchases Restaurant which has five bedrooms. Situated in North Street, it's pretty much as central as you can get, just a couple of minutes walk from the Market Cross and the Cathedral. The restaurant is listed as one of the best in Chichester, so eating there the first night was a must. I arrived early - about 11.30am - and asked if I could drop off my bag with them, but luckily they said my room was ready and showed me straight up.
It was a lovely room with a comfortable sitting area - though be prepared to walk up many stairs to the second floor. The hotel is in a Grade II listed Georgian building. There is no lift, and I was told they're not allowed to put in air conditioning (which wasn't a problem for me given the weather). They have no parking either, but I parked in the Long Stay Northgate Car Park which is only a 5-minute walk away. I'd had a problem downloading the local parking app last time I was there so sorted that out before I left this time. It made things easy when I arrived and I found I could pay to park for 48 hours, so I didn't have to remember to pay more the next morning. It cost £19.10 for the two days.
The staff were very friendly and helpful. The young woman who checked me in asked about my plans and recommended going to the Bishop's Palace Gardens behind the Cathedral. I hadn't discovered those last time and was so pleased she'd told me about them. The restaurant/hotel is so central, it's easy to pop back and forth, which I like on a short break to a city.
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Where to eat
Coffee
On my first day, I went back to my favourite cafe from the last visit, Common Grounds, for an afternoon coffee.
On my last morning, I decided to go into a Caffè Nero for breakfast. Breakfast was included with my room, but like most UK hotels, the menu mainly offered cooked breakfast - and I'm not a cooked breakfast person. I'd had some yogurt and granola the previous morning, but they weren't serving breakfast until 9.00am on Saturday and Sunday (8.00 during the week), and as I'd ventured out early for a newspaper - in the torrential rain - I decided to seek sanctuary and just the kind of breakfast I wanted in the Caffè Nero, which was good and welcome.
Lunch
Arriving around 11.30 my first day, once I'd settled into the hotel, it was almost lunchtime. I decided to go to the Cathedral cafe in its cloisters, where I'd eaten last time. A slice of quiche with potato and green salad was perfect as I was expecting to eat a large meal in the evening. It was busy, so I ended up eating in the garden, but it was actually okay - as the garden is very sheltered. But I kept my coat on!
On my second day when I had a ticket for the Pallant House Gallery to see the still life exhibition, I'd booked a table at their cafe. It's known to be one of the best places to eat in Chichester, so booking is essential. All the tables had Reserved signs on them and people were being turned away. I had a Sweet Potato, Spinach & Caramelised Onion Pastry Parcel with a gorgeous 'red pepper & walnuts sauce' and summer slaw (£15).
On my previous visit, I'd sat in the garden, which was lovely - but no one was sitting in the garden this time!
Dinner
As I said above, I booked a table at Purchases for my first night. It was very nice to just walk downstairs and enter the restaurant through the bar area. It's an attractive room. It was fairly busy with a good atmosphere. As well as an À La Carte menu, there's a Set Menu of £25.95 for 2 courses; £29.95 for 3 courses. This isn't available after 6pm on Fridays and Saturdays.
I was happy with the choices in the set menu, so went with that. I had Gin Cured Chalk Stream Trout to begin, which was delicious.
For my main, I chose Confit Duck Leg with Dauphinoise Potatoes, Hispi Cabbage, Celeriac Puree and Caramelised Orange Jus. It was excellent and very welcome, It seems rather a winter-time choice, but given the weather outside, absolutely perfect!
I had Custard Tart with Rhubarb Sorbet and Poached Rhubarb for dessert. This was very good too.
To drink, I had a glass of prosecco when I sat down and a glass of red Côtes du Rhône wine with the main and finished with an espresso coffee. My bill, including service, was £52.37. It was an excellent meal, lovely setting and friendly efficient staff. It's easy to see why Purchases has earned a good reputation.
For my second night, I booked a table at Brasserie Blanc.
Chichester has just about any chain of restaurant you could think of - Côte, Carluccio's, Bill's, Franco Manca, The Ivy - but I opted for Brasserie Blanc, not just because I fancied French but it's always proved the most reliably good. It didn't let me down either. If I handed out awards, Brasserie Blanc would get my award as the best of the chains.
Their set menu had a last order of 6pm, which was too early for me, so I booked a table for 7pm and went à la carte. Many of the restaurants offer a Pre-Theatre Menu and as the Chichester Festival Theatre is only about a 10-15 minute walk from the centre of the city it makes sense.
I was warmly greeted and asked where I'd like to sit. There were quite a few diners in there, but still empty tables, so it nice to be given a choice. As I was in a French restaurant I ordered a glass of champagne (Lanson 125ml for £10.50) to drink while I chose my food. For a starter, I had Beetroot Terrine with horseradish crème fraîche, watercress salad and beetroot dressing (£7.75).
For my main - again, given the cold weather - I went for Slow-Cooked Boeuf Bourguignon with braised baby onions, mushrooms & lardons, smooth mash (£19.95) and ordered a side of French beans ((£4.65). It was superb. The beef came as one steak piece and was melt-in-the-mouth tender. The sauce rich and delicious and the mash so wonderfully smooth. The French beans were perfectly cooked - al dente and retaining their green colour but not too much bite.
I chose Crème Brûlée for dessert (£6.95). Another winner and very good.
I had a glass of House Red with my beef and finished with a perfect macchiato.
It was a great way to finish a perfect meal. It was really good and, like everywhere else I went, very friendly service. My final bill with service was £65.95.
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Things to do in Chichester
The Cathedral
The Cathedral is so central, its tall spire dominates the landscape and you can see it from almost anywhere in the centre of the city. It was originally built in 681 in Selsey on the nearby coast and became the first cathedral in Sussex. Then the seat of the Bishop was moved to Chichester and the construction of the Cathedral we see now began in 1075 and was consecrated in 1108. It's suffered a few fires and some destruction on its way to the 21st century, but what we see today is essentially a Norman cathedral and it is very beautiful indeed.
There are beautiful stained-glass windows inside, including one by Marc Chagall, and paintings by John Piper and Graham Sutherland as well as other well-known modern artists.
Bishop's Palace Gardens
I took up the suggestion to visit the Bishop's Palace Gardens which are right behind the Cathedral yesterday morning. I entered via South Street, through an archway, passing this pretty terrace of cottages on the way.
The entrance to the Gardens is clearly marked through an old wall.
I was happy just exploring for a while.
One set of steps led up to a Roman wall.
It turned into such a cold, windy morning though I didn't stay long. But by the afternoon the weather had brightened and I went back, even sitting for a while in the sun on one of the many benches dotted around.
The Gardens sit between the Cathedral and the Roman city walls, and date back to 1147. The Bishop's Palace is nearby but not open to the public and the gardens are maintained by the local council and have recently undergone a restoration. It's a beautiful, peaceful place and so central that locals can wander into it during lunch breaks - or whenever they fancy, as it's free entry.
The Novium Museum
Surrounded by so much history, I decided to visit the Novium Museum (free entry), which is built over a Roman bath house. It houses many outstanding archaeological remains and there are family friendly exhibitions and events. It's just across the road from the Cathedral so very easy to find.
The Pallant House Gallery
As I said above, this is an award-winning gallery, and my main reason for going to Chichester. Housed in a historic Queen Anne townhouse, with a contemporary extension, it's said to have one of the best collections of Modern British Art in the UK. It's quite small and a great place to visit. The entry fee lets you into all the exhibitions (mine was £11.50 online). Friendly staff welcome you and are happy to direct you to what you want to see. Even the security assistants in each room talked to me and gave me some information (which is very unusual!). And of course, there is the wonderful cafe to eat in before or after you've looked at the exhibits.
I loved the Still Life exhibition and was pleased I'd made the journey for it. Paintings were accompanied by excellent information on panels, telling us 'it seeks to demonstrate the importance of still life to artistic expression in this country ... Beyond its meaning and symbolism, still life fuels artistic experimentation.' It really made me think about the paintings in a way I hadn't before – post-war paintings using still life to signify stability; the importance of the space between objects; its place as a kind of mindful meditation to bring stillness and reflection.
Chichester Festival Theatre
On the edge of town, this theatre is renowned for its great shows - drama, musicals, new writing. Many people make the journey to Chichester simply to go to see something there. I didn't this time (though I did the first time), but I keep an eye on what's coming in case there's anything I'd like to see.
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Further afield
If the weather had been better I'd thought I'd go to the coast, visiting either West Wittering or Selsey by the sea and only about seven or eight miles from Chichester. However, it wasn't the weather for beach walks, but another time. I did notice though that buses went that way, so going to the sea by bus is certainly an option.
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It was a great, albeit it short, trip. It's very handy for me, being fairly close to where I live. I could really get there and back in a day but there's so much to do, it's nice to take time out and have a little holiday in a beautiful city where there is lots to do and see.
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