What to See in Chichester, United Kingdom: Free Audio Guide

The best things to do in Chichester include exploring its Roman remains, medieval cathedral, historic churches and important cultural venues. Compact and shaped by centuries of history, the city brings together archaeological sites, elegant buildings and a lively arts scene within an easily walkable centre. Neywo has a free audio guide for Chichester, with 21 narrated places available in 11 languages.

What to See in Chichester

The Novium Museum

The Novium Museum is built directly over the remains of Chichester’s Roman Bath House complex. Its name comes from Noviomagus Reginorum, the Roman name for the city.

The modern building opened on 8 July 2012 and has three floors, with a gallery on each one. Its ground-floor gallery displays the Roman Bath House remains, making the archaeology part of the museum itself. The Novium also includes exhibition spaces, a research and learning room, and a collection store for social history material.

Chichester Cathedral

Formally known as the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, Chichester Cathedral is the principal church of the Anglican Diocese of Chichester. The cathedral was founded in 1075, when the bishop’s seat moved here from Selsey.

Its architecture combines Norman and Gothic styles. Several features make it unusual among England’s medieval cathedrals: it has a free-standing medieval bell tower, or campanile, and double aisles. Its spire is the third tallest in England and can be seen from the sea. The present spire is a copy of one designed by George Gilbert Scott in 1860; the original was destroyed in a storm in February 1861, and the replacement was completed in 1866.

Inside, medieval and modern art appear together, including two rare medieval sculptures, tapestries, stained glass and sculpture. Many of the modern works were commissioned by Walter Hussey, dean from 1955 to 1977.

Chichester Cross and the City Centre

Chichester’s historic centre is shaped by its Roman foundations and its later development as a medieval city. Chichester Cross is one of the stops on Neywo’s walking route through the city, linking the main historic sights with streets and buildings that are best discovered on foot.

The compact centre also provides the setting for several former churches and local places of worship, including the Church of St Bartholomew, St Mary’s Church, the former Church of All Saints in the Pallant and the eighteenth-century Church of St Pancras. St Paul’s Church is a nineteenth-century Anglican church with Grade II-listed historic and architectural significance.

Church of St Andrew and Chichester Guildhall

St Andrew-in-the-Oxmarket Church began as a church more than seven centuries ago. It remained a church until the middle of the twentieth century, when wartime damage brought its religious use to an end. In 1976, the building was converted into an arts centre. It was extended thirteen years later and later became known as the Oxmarket Centre of Arts. Historic England lists it at Grade II Star.

In Priory Park, Chichester Guildhall has a more unexpected history than its name suggests. It was built as the chancel of a Franciscan Grey Friars friary, rather than as a guildhall. The Grey Friars received the land from Richard, Earl of Cornwall, in 1269, and the first recorded event associated with the building was an ordination held by Archbishop John Peckham in 1283.

The building is one of the few Franciscan friaries in England that still has its roof. Its simple, aisle-less structure has symmetrical windows between buttresses, giving it the restrained appearance of a late-thirteenth-century Franciscan building.

Chichester Castle and Priory Park

Very little of Chichester Castle survives above ground, but its motte, or raised mound, remains visible in Priory Park. It offers a glimpse of a timber fortress built shortly after the Norman Conquest.

Roger de Montgomery, Earl of Shrewsbury, ordered the castle’s construction. It stood in the north-east corner of the city, within the existing city walls, and was one of eleven fortified sites established in Sussex before 1100. There is no evidence that it was later rebuilt in stone. By the early thirteenth century, the castle had become a court and a jail.

Chichester Roman Amphitheatre

The Chichester Roman Amphitheatre is another reminder of the city’s place in the Roman world. Although the site is now archaeological rather than a complete standing building, it adds an important dimension to a visit focused on Chichester’s ancient origins.

The amphitheatre is included in Neywo’s historic city walk, alongside The Novium and other Roman and medieval landmarks.

Pallant House Gallery

Pallant House Gallery is one of Chichester’s most notable cultural attractions. It is home to one of the finest collections of twentieth-century British art in the world, making it an important stop for visitors interested in modern art as well as historic architecture.

Chichester Festival Theatre and the Minerva Theatre

Chichester Festival Theatre is a Grade II star-listed building in Oaklands Park. Since opening in 1962, it has become one of the city’s major cultural landmarks, presenting classic plays, contemporary writing and musicals.

The theatre was designed by Philip Powell and Hidalgo Moya and opened by its founder, Leslie Evershed-Martin. Sir Laurence Olivier was its first artistic director. Chichester also played a role in the history of Britain’s National Theatre: the first National Theatre company was formed here, and productions created in Chichester later transferred to the Old Vic in London.

The nearby Minerva Theatre is a smaller, more intimate venue. It opened in April 1989, with Sam Mendes as its first artistic director, and can seat up to 310 people. Together, the two venues make Chichester a significant destination for theatre.

A Chichester Self-Guided Walking Tour with Neywo

Neywo offers two walking tours in Chichester. The first, Noviomagus to Norman Mound: Two Thousand Years in a Walled City, covers 2.94 km in around 115 minutes and includes 11 narrated stops. It connects The Novium, Chichester Cathedral, Chichester Cross, St Andrew-in-the-Oxmarket Church, Chichester Guildhall, Chichester Castle, St Pancras Church, the Roman Amphitheatre, St John the Evangelist’s Church, St Richard of Chichester Church and Pallant House Gallery.

The second, The Stage: Festival Theatre, Minerva and Olivier’s Chichester, is a 0.65 km walk lasting around 29 minutes, with four stops: Chichester Festival Theatre, the Minerva Theatre, St Paul’s Church and Providence Chapel.

The app tells the story of each place as you reach it, at your own pace, with no group and no schedule. Download Neywo and explore Chichester with its free audio guide, using two walks and 21 narrated places to connect the city’s Roman history, religious buildings and theatre tradition.

Chichester is part of England in the United Kingdom.