Figure 1--Here we have a family outing in Arundel Park. The family is not identified. The snapshot was dated May 24, 1920. That was a Monday. A British reader tells us that this photograph was taken during the Whitsuntide holiday. The family were celebrating Whit Monday by going to Arundel Castle by making a day trip to Arundel Castle. Many villages and small towns did not have rail stations. The boy is wearing his school cap but his suit is probably his best. At that time everyone dressed up when going on outings during public holidays. He most likely went to a Grammar School. There would have been Whit Sunday walks around the Parish where this family lived. If he attended a boarding school then he was having a long weekend from Friday until the end of the Whitsuntide holiday. Another image taken a few months earlier shows peacocks at the park. This daytripping family probably reached Arundel by train, but day trippers often reached other points of interest in the 1920s by charabanc.

Arundel is a picturesque market town in a steep vale of the South Downs, West Sussex, southeast of London. It is a few miles from the English Channel near Brighton and Chichester. Arundel became a popular attraction for daytrippers. It is a largely conserved town with many listed building and large green buffers and a medieval Norman castle which overlooks the park and town. Arudel Castle has played an important role in Englidh history. It was here that Matilda, the daughter of Henry I, began her campaign aginst the ursper Stephen and the beginning of the Anarchy (1135-53). Arundel at the time was still a largely wooden structure, but stone construction began. Henry II, Matilda's son, spent massive sums on the Cstle. The Castle was damaged in the Civil War (17th century), but subsequently restored. There is also a Roman Catholic cathedral. The town is named after the River Arun which runs through runs through the eastern part of the town. Arundel was one of the rotten boroughs reformed by the important Municipal Reform Act 1835. Arundel is also home to one of the oldest Scout Groups in the world. 1st Arundel (Earl of Arundel's Own) Scout Group was formed in 1908 only a few weeks after Scouting began. Based in an HQ in Green Lane Close, it has active sections of Beaver Scouts, Cub Scouts and Scouts. We We have not been able to find much information on the part, but believe it may be the castle grounds. Arundel Castle was a popular tourist attraction. We see beautiful trees in the park and at least in the 1920s peacocks. Arudel had a railway since the 19th century making day tripping possible. There is a frequent direct train service from London (Victoria Station) and intermediate stations, including Gatwick Airport. Frequent trains also run from Brighton, Worthing, Littlehampton, Bognor Regis, Chichester and Portsmouth. (Some journeys involve a change of train.) I think most trains are going to Bogner Regis and other seaside towns.