Arnolds is an independent opticians at Ewen House on Red Lion Street, in the heart of Midhurst. The optical line in the family runs back to the 1840s, and Charles Arnold is the fifth generation to hold the bench. Sight tests, 3D eye scans, spectacles and contact lenses, done unhurried, in a town worth slowing down for.
A full refraction by an optometrist, not just a reading from a machine. Pupillary distance measured by hand, and a 3D OCT scan where it helps. NHS and private, for children, adults and seniors, with home visits for anyone who cannot get into town.
Designer and independent frames from around sixty-nine pounds upward, lenses cut and fitted on Red Lion Street. A style consultation that weighs the prescription, the face and the way you actually live, rather than the busiest shelf.
Fitting and aftercare for daily, two-weekly and monthly lenses, with a trial pair to live in before you commit. The check that the lens suits the eye matters more than the box it comes in, so we do that first.
A small monthly plan that spreads the cost of examinations and eyewear across the year, in tiers to suit a child, an adult or a whole family. No surprises at the counter, and your records held in one place from one visit to the next.
In the 1840s a chemist in the family began fitting spectacles across the counter. His son James was the first to take the formal route of Ophthalmic Optician, and the practice put down roots in Hampshire from the 1890s. Over the years the family spread along the South Coast, from Kent to North Devon, before settling into West Sussex in the 1970s.
What has not changed is the way an eye is looked at. The same unhurried sight test, the same care with a record kept from one visit to the next, now in the hands of Charles Arnold, the fifth generation. That is the part you cannot template, and it is the reason people stay.
“Family values, service and choice, carried on from those who came before us.” Arnolds, on five generations of eye care
A sight test is about more than the line you can read. The detail is in what sits behind it, and that is where a century and a half at the bench shows.
A short note to start, no obligation. For an eye test, a contact-lens fitting or a look at frames, leave a line below and we will reply. Or simply phone 01730 814035 and we will sort it on the spot.
Ewen House, Red Lion Street
Church Hill, Midhurst GU29 9BP
Phone · 01730 814035
Email · midhurst@arnoldsopticians.co.uk
We are on Church Hill at the top of Midhurst, among the timbered North Street frontages and a short walk from the Cowdray ruins and the river Rother. Parking is close by in the town.
OPENING HOURSClosed Mondays and Sundays. Saturdays open on alternate weeks, so a quick call ahead helps.
You can book directly, no referral needed. We do NHS sight tests for those who qualify and private examinations for everyone else. Phone 01730 814035 or call into Ewen House on Red Lion Street and we will find you a time.
It is an OCT scan that photographs the layers beneath the retina, so we can see changes from things like glaucoma or macular conditions years before they affect your sight. It is offered alongside the standard examination where it helps, subject to availability on the day.
Frames start at around sixty-nine pounds and run up through designer and independent ranges, with lenses cut and fitted here. We will talk through the options against your prescription before anything is ordered, so the price is clear at the counter.
Yes. We hold community and domiciliary visits for people who cannot easily get to the practice. Phone the branch and we will arrange a visit and bring the testing to you.
Tuesday to Friday, nine until half past five, and Saturday nine until five on alternate weeks. We are closed Mondays and Sundays. For a Saturday it is worth a quick call to 01730 814035 to check which week it falls on.