A Brief History of Chichester

Chichester is situated in the south of the modern English county of West Sussex. The City is built on the site of the ancient Roman town of Noviamagus Reginorum. The city is believed to have been on of the first points of attack during the Roman invasion of 43AD. The town was captured in the late 5th century by the Anglo Saxons and was then renamed "Cissa". It was at this time that the city became the chief city in the Kingdom of Sussex (what would later be known as Sussex County).

Much of the original Roman and Anglo-Saxon architecture and town planning still exists throughout the city. All of the streets radiate out from a single cross centralized by the medieval market cross. The cross now forms the North, South, East and West Streets.

The Chichester Cross was built by the bishop of Chichester, Edward Story, in the late 15th Century. The cross was built to enable poor people to trade and sell their wares. Apart from a few maintenance modifications, the cross still stands at the centre of the city. The cross was used as the main market place until the early 19th Century, when a larger market was erected on the north street to cater for the increased population. The cross was destined for demolition until local spirit, along with the aid of a few corporation members, deemed it a landmark and the heart of the city.

Most of the original city walls are still standing and have been opened to the public for tours and site-seeing.

In the late 19th century, Chichester was connected to Brighton, Portsmouth and Selsey by a new Railway. This enabled the city to grow and helped bring more wealth within its walls.

Chichester was subjected to three bombing raids during the Second World War which destroyed much of the original architecture. An amphitheatre site, (which was built in 80 AD) was almost destroyed by the crash landing of an American plane which had been attacked over France.

According to a recent census the current population of Chichester is around 26,000 and it is steadily growing. Most of the Chichester Market is still open to this day and is keeping Chichester as a flourishing and very popular Market City.