Chichester from Fishbourne

The cathedral city two miles to the east

Chichester is the nearest city to Fishbourne and serves as the commercial, cultural, and administrative centre for the district. The city is approximately two miles to the east, a journey of about five minutes by car, three minutes by train, or ten minutes by bus.

The city centre is compact and attractive, arranged around the medieval street plan with the Market Cross at the central junction. The cathedral, which dominates the city's skyline and is visible from many points around Fishbourne, dates from the Norman period and is the only English cathedral visible from the sea. The Pallant House Gallery holds a nationally important collection of modern British art. The Chichester Festival Theatre, founded in 1962, has been one of the leading producing theatres in the country for over sixty years.

Shopping in Chichester centres on the four main streets radiating from the Cross: North Street, South Street, East Street, and West Street. The mix includes independent shops, high-street chains, and the covered Victorian Butter Market. For supermarket shopping, Sainsbury's, Tesco, and Waitrose all have stores in or near the city.

Chichester's restaurants, cafes, and pubs serve the wider district, and Fishbourne residents use them regularly. The city also provides medical services, secondary schools, the college, the university, and the full range of retail and professional services that a village cannot sustain.

For Fishbourne residents, Chichester is effectively the local high street. The short distance and good connections make the city accessible without the village needing to provide services beyond the basic. This relationship between a small village and its nearby city is one of the factors that makes Fishbourne an attractive place to live.