Chichester’s earliest inns can be traced back to mediaeval times when they catered for pilgrims visiting the shrine of St Richard in the cathedral. Over time they came to serve all types of travellers, who needed rest and food after travelling along the notoriously bad Sussex roads. By the middle of the seventeenth century there were seven inns in Chichester, as well as 50 alehouses, taverns, and other premises that sold drink. Given the population was only 2,000 people at the time, of whom over half were women and children, it can be seen that Chichester was a boozy city and remained so until the beginning of the twentieth century.
The Chichester Society obtained a Lottery Grant to create 8 heritage Trails, one of which related to pubs, inns and hotels. The pub trail now consists of 19 establishments. However, in conducting later research many more were identified – too many to create a manageable walk round the City. Both the walking trail and the larger collection now exist as digital trails which can be reached on the Society’s website here.
Links to further information on this topic will be added below.