Chichester (/ˈtʃɪtʃᵻstər/) is a cathedral city in West Sussex, in South-East England. It is the only city in West Sussex and is its county town. It has a long history as a settlement from Roman times and was important in Anglo-Saxon times. It is the seat of a bishopric, with a 12th-century cathedral, and is home to some of the oldest churches and buildings in Great Britain.
Chichester has three tiers of local government. It is a transport hub, and a centre for culture in the county, with a theatre, museum and art galleries. Chichester Harbour and the South Downs provide opportunities for outdoor pursuits.
History
Roman period
The area around Chichester is believed to have played significant part during the Roman Invasion of A.D 43, as confirmed by evidence of military storage structures in the area of the nearby Fishbourne Roman Palace. The city centre stands on the foundations of the Romano-British city of Noviomagus Reginorum, capital of the Civitas Reginorum. The Roman road of Stane Street, connecting the city with London, started at the east gate, while the Chichester to Silchester road started from the north gate. The plan of the city is inherited from the Romans: the North, South, East and West shopping streets radiate from the central market cross dating from medieval times.
Chichester centres on the small medieval cathedral city by the South Downs National Park and is one of the oldest constituencies in the UK having been created when commoners were first called to the Model Parliament in 1295 as one of the original Parliamentary boroughs returning two members. The seat has sent one member since 1868, by the Reform Act 1867.
Prior to the boundary changes implemented in 1974, Chichester was a much more compact constituency, taking in the eastern towns of Arundel and Bognor Regis at various times, but the greater growth in population of other seats nationally, including in Sussex settlements of Crawley, Horsham and Brighton meant that the constituency was expanded to the north to give it equal population.
The Booker-shortlisted The LongSong (2010) , set on a 19th-centuryJamaican plantation, was also adapted for peak-time TV and now receives a large-cast staging at Chichester.
"There's nothing normal here," Columbus songwriter and multi-instrumentalist HappyChichester sings in his new single, "Have You Noticed?" It's a statement that rings true amid a world inundated with disinformation, social and political turmoil and widespread environmental disasters.
Minerva theatre, Chichester This tale of a claustrophobic mother-daughter relationship takes contrived turns, but the starkly moving performances remain ...