Chichester Then and Now

Author: Phil Hewitt

Chichester Then and Now

Chichester: Then And Now is the story of how Chichester's past became its present.
With its Roman heritage and wealth of Georgian architecture, Chichester is a gem of a city, rightly proud of its history. But it's also a vibrant city very much living in the modern day.
In this book, historic images and current views are juxtaposed to show the way Chichester has sometimes stood still and sometimes changed almost beyond recognition. In words and pictures, Chichester: Then and Now vividly shows how the city has developed and is developing still. Chichester Cathedral has drawn worshippers for more than 900 years, while the Market Cross has been the city's centrepiece for more than five centuries. But around them, churches have come and gone, the Civil War did its worst, and commercial development has hastened the pace of change. A medieval market town with livestock in the streets and a rich mix of ancient industries has become a modern city conscious of the legacies it must preserve.
This book looks at those legacies and at the city Chichester has become. The tour begins at the Market Cross before continuing along the principal shopping streets for a look at buildings and characters, some gone but few forgotten.
The book also looks at Chichester's first four cinemas and at the varying fates of some of its ancient churches. It concludes with a look at some of the city's pubs down the decades.
With more than a hundred photographs, Chichester: Then And Now offers a visual feast for anyone interested in social history, with relevance way beyond West Sussex. Through its succession of paired images, the book brings both past and present alive to offer a captivating portrait of a city which has learnt to live through changing times.