Chichester — Pippa Hunnechurch’s home town — is a small city on the South Coast of England, about sixty miles from London. It is the “county town” of West Sussex.
The Romans called the place Noviomagus Regnensium, which, roughly translated, meant the new port and tribal center. Its present name is probably a contraction of the phrase “Cissa’s cester,” literally Cissa’s camp. Cissa — possibly the son of Aella, the Saxon ruler who invaded the region in 477 — received Noviomagus as a present. Hence: Chichester.
You can take a virtual tour of Chichester — at ChichesterWeb – The Chichester Guide. You’ll also find a pictorial map that highlights local attractions:
- The famous Chichester Cathedral (dedicated in 1108)
- Bosham, the place where King Canute ordered the tides to recede. (They didn’t!)
- Fishbourne, the site of a Roman palace
- Goodwood Motor Circuit, an historic motor raceway
- Chichester Festival Theatre (Laurence Olivier was its first Director).