I am Norfolk! Or a Good Weekend, Part II

The future Dr Who as Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk

Part II of my weekend of away days on the train was to Arundel Castle in Sussex. I won't give you a potted history of the place. Suffice to say, the 4th Duke gained Arundel Castle (and the Earldom) when he married Mary FitzAlan (daughter of the last Earl of Arundel). I wasn't there because I'm into castles (give me geometric, gunpowder era artillery fortification any day) or even primarily because there was a siege there in 1643. Though that was a bonus. No the reason was to accompany my beloved Margravina and keen gardener. A few weeks ago she mentioned Arundel Castle's Tulip Festival and would I like to go with her. Talk about killing two birds with one stone.

Tickets were booked and off we set on Sunday morning. Although not nearly as far as Weymouth, the journey took nearly as long. Up to Waterloo, walk across to Waterloo East and from there to London Bridge station where we had a lengthy wait. London Bridge has changed enormously since the last time I used the station. It looks splendid. The main concourse makes judicious use of wood panelling on the underside of the lines overheard. The concourse is underneath the platforms. In the old days a few platforms where on a viaduct but now it looks all of them have been raised to that level, creating the space underneath. The only downside was I couldn't spot one sign for the loos. Back to a theme from Saturday.

The journey from London Bridge down to Arundel was a pretty slow but interesting journey. If you have an interest in suburban development (I do). For those of a more rural disposition, the journey gets more interesting south of Horsham, especially when the line reaches the Arun valley. A lovely part of SE England.

On arrival at Arundel around 12:00 we found a cafe for a quick lunch (spotting a lido along the way) before heading to the castle. I was blown away by the gardens. I'm not a horticulturalist, but can appreciate a nice plant. I'll let the pictures tell the story.

The Margravina admires the walls

This, and.....

...this whole structure are carved out of wood. The weathering of the wood helps create the impression of stone.

At this point I was feeling this was up there with the Alhambra in Granada.  You can see how  the blocks of wood on the right have carved surfaces to create the impression of stone

This is apparently a 'stumpery'. I never knew it was a thing. But it is now on the list of things I like.

Clever Victorian engineering

I love the housing on this standpipe

Hedgehog house

The underside of the thatched roof

I guessed this was a cork

Think this was the medieval keep. The motte is very steep, and must have been  virtually impossible to climb in heavy armour.

A guide told me this gun barrel was captured at Sevastopol. It looks like a large calibre (24 pounder?) but with a relatively short barrel

The important facilities. Kept nice and clean I was please to note.

This is what you came for!

Added bonus! The figures looked like 28mm.

The diorama seemed to show a sally in support of a supply convoy arriving

Arty photo didn't quite work

Any ideas?

View from the train

Castle and town seen from the train

View from the bridge over the Arun on route from the station

There was one further unexpected added bonus. A dressing up box. And what is more, some of the clothes fit grown 'men'. The Margravina has some evidence. Not posted here. I thought I'd struck a very dignified pose until I noticed I'd got the white colour thing tucked in on one side.

The journey back home was going swimmingly until we reached East Croydon. This isn't a comment on that particular suburb. It's just that the train was delayed and we missed our connection. The route planner had told us to change at Croydon, then go up to Streatham (St. Reatham if you're an estate agent), then change for Wimbledon, before finally changing for Neu Maldheim. Our plans were awry at that point, but the Transport for London app advised a bus route from there. That sounds like a long journey, if you know South London, but it went very swiftly. Once we found the bus stop outside the station. I'm blaming poor signage. There's an 'express' bus route that goes from East Croydon station to Heathrow, that stopped at one end of our local Hochstraße. A quick walk, back to the car via the small Tesco and I still had time for a bite to eat before my 6 PM remote game with Jonathan Freitag. It was an excellent way to round of a great weekend. But that's another story.