Chichester: Plan to rebuild temple to Roman goddess

An artist's impression, submitted with the application, of how the temple will appear behind the lioness statue

Plans to rebuild a temple to the Roman goddess Minerva near Sussex's Goodwood House have been submitted.

The temple once stood in the High Woods area of the Goodwood Estate, near Chichester, but was dismantled in the early 20th century.

The aim is to rebuild it using as many of the original stones as possible.

If approved by Chichester District Council, the temple will sit to the north of the Grade-II listed Lioness Statue.

According to the National Archive, the lioness statue marks the grave of one of the favourite pets of a sister of the third Duke of Richmond (1735-1806).

Minerva was worshipped as goddess of wisdom, medicine, commerce, handicrafts, poetry, the arts in general, and later, war.

A statement submitted with the application said the temple's design is based on "historic evidence" and the original stones will be reinstated in their former context, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The statement said: "The proposed reconstruction of the former Minerva Temple will reinstate a lost feature that once resided within the semi-formal woodland setting of High Woods.

"Whilst the purpose is not a faithful recreation of the temple in terms of its position it will remain on the periphery of the landscape bowl and associated man-made features that collectively form the amphitheatre built by the second Duke of Richmond."

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