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Moving to Arundel: House Prices, Trains, Schools, Council Tax and the A27

Moving to Arundel means choosing a small, historic town over a bigger market: about 3,500 people at the 2021 Census, a medieval castle, a Catholic cathedral, and direct trains that reach London Victoria in about an hour and a half. HM Land Registry put the average home across Arun district at £320,505 in August 2026, but that figure is pulled down by the coast and Arundel itself usually costs more. Band D council tax in the parish is £2,519.81 for 2026/27. Here is what those numbers mean if you are planning the move.

Arundel house prices

The Land Registry does not publish a separate index for Arundel. The table below shows Arun district as a whole for August 2026, the latest month we checked. Arun also takes in Bognor Regis, Littlehampton and the coastal villages, so treat it as the floor of the market and not a valuation of a house in the town.

First-time buyers in Arun paid an average of £253,833. Figures for the town itself vary a lot because so few homes sell each year: Hutch's Arundel price guide gives about £599,000 for a house and £273,000 for a flat, well above the district averages. With a small sample, one large house can move a town average sharply, so check recent sold prices on your target street before you rely on any single number.

Much of the appeal is also the constraint. Arundel has more listed buildings than anywhere in West Sussex except much larger Chichester, so many homes are older than they look, and that affects survey costs, insulation and what you can change. Ask early whether a house is listed or in the conservation area, and budget for a more detailed survey: our page on property surveys explains the levels.

Where to live in and around Arundel

Arundel is small enough that most of the town is walkable, but the postcode covers quite different places:

• The town centre: the High Street climbs the hill below the castle, with period houses, cottages and flats above and around the shops. You will be close to everything, but parking is limited and day visitors fill the streets in summer.
• Walberton and Slindon direction: villages to the west with more space and a rural feel, in return for a drive to the shops and station.
• Barnham and Yapton: flatter ground to the south-west. Barnham has its own station, which makes it a practical alternative for commuters who want more choice of trains.
• The Arun valley to the north: smaller villages towards Amberley and the South Downs. Prices can be high, and you need a car for nearly everything.

If the coast appeals more than the castle, our page on moving to Littlehampton covers the town about four miles down the river, and moving to Chichester covers the nearest city.

Trains, buses and the A27

Arundel station is on the Arun Valley line, south of the A27, with a signed footpath into the town that avoids the main road. Southern lists direct trains to London Victoria at 1 hour 24 to 1 hour 30 minutes, and services run via Gatwick Airport, which is handy for flights. Check the timetable before you commit to a daily commute, particularly your last train home. Our guide to the best commuter towns in Sussex compares Arundel's kind of journey with faster lines further east.

Ford and Barnham stations give extra options, with connections along the coast. Buses are thinner: the town's own transport page lists Stagecoach 9 and Compass 69, 85 and 85A, and describes the buses as few and slow, with a Book-a-Bus on-demand service as a supplement.

The road is the town's long-running complaint. The A27 narrows to a single carriageway around Arundel and is known for queues at peak times. Do not buy on the assumption that a bypass will fix it: National Highways lists the A27 Arundel bypass as cancelled following the Chancellor's statement of 29 July 2024. If you would drive towards Worthing or Chichester every day, test the journey at the time you would actually travel.

Schools

The town has two state primaries, Arundel CofE Primary School and St Philip's Catholic Primary School. West Sussex County Council lists both among the schools that do not use a catchment area, so read their admissions criteria, especially for faith places, rather than relying on your address.

Arundel has no state secondary of its own, so children travel. St Philip Howard Catholic School at Barnham and The Angmering School are each between four and five miles from the town as the crow flies. St Philip Howard is also on the county's no-catchment list. Check which secondary your exact address is linked to through the county council before you exchange contracts, and look at how your child would get there, as buses from the town are limited.

West Sussex allocates places, and the national deadlines are 31 October in the year before entry for secondary schools and 15 January for primary. If you are moving mid-year, make an in-year application as soon as you have an address.

Council tax 2026/27

Arun District Council's parish table sets the Arundel figures at the levels below.

That Band D figure is £36.22 below Littlehampton's £2,556.03, which is the highest in Arun, and £126.50 above the lowest parish rate in the same table, £2,393.31. See how the move-in date is treated on our page on council tax when moving house in Sussex.

Is Arundel a good place to live?

It suits buyers who want a walkable town with real character, the South Downs close by and a workable if unhurried London link. Arundel Castle is the seat of the Duke of Norfolk, Arundel Cathedral is the seat of the Catholic Bishop of Arundel and Brighton, and the WWT wetland centre sits just outside the town.

The trade-offs are worth saying plainly. Prices are high for the size of the place, the choice of shops is limited for a weekly food shop, the secondary school run is a real journey, and the tourist season puts pressure on parking. The River Arun also runs through the eastern side of town, so check the long-term flood risk for any address near the water.

Practical moving-day notes

The town centre is what makes a move here awkward: a steep High Street, narrow side streets, limited parking and weekend visitors. A large lorry may need a parking suspension or a smaller shuttle vehicle, so tell your removal firm about the exact address when you ask for a quote, and try to avoid a sunny Saturday. Older properties may have narrow stairs that make big furniture difficult; our page on moving heavy furniture covers the options. For budgets, see removal costs in Sussex, and start your planning on the Move Sussex homepage.

Sources: HM Land Registry UK House Price Index; Arun District Council; Southern; National Highways; West Sussex County Council. Population from the 2021 Census via City Population.