Sussex

Sussex is a place of beautiful coastline, gardens, literary greats, rolling South Downs, vast art collections and a castle. Discover what to see and do and plan a day out to remember.

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Nymans

A garden lovers' home for all seasons, with an extensive yet intimate garden set around a romantic house and ruins.

Sheffield Park and Garden

Acres of Grade I listed landscaped garden and lakes, surrounded by historic parkland and woodland

View from First Bridge towards Middle Lake at Sheffield Park East Sussex

Petworth

A magnificent 17th-century house displaying one of the finest art collections in the care of the National Trust, nestled in a 700-acre deer park

Bodiam Castle

Step into history at Bodiam Castle. This 14th-century moated castle with a ruined interior features spiral staircases, battlements and a portcullis.

Standen

Arts and Crafts family home with Morris & Co. interiors, set in a beautiful hillside garden

Bateman's

The family home of world-famous writer Rudyard Kipling, known for The Jungle Book and Just So Stories. Built in 1634, this Jacobean house is in the Sussex countryside.

Birling Gap and the Seven Sisters

A popular coastal hub, where the South Downs meet the sea

Uppark

A 17th-century house set in intimate grounds with spectacular views over the South Downs. Visit the house on bookable guided tours

Wakehurst

Wild botanic garden, managed by Kew and home to the Millennium Seed Bank

Lamb House

Celebrating 300 years of history and literary connections in a stunning Georgian house

Trees display their autumn colour by the lake at Sheffield Park and Garden

Family friendly places to visit

A view of the ruins of the old house in Nymans Garden, West Sussex

Houses and buildings in Sussex

Public footpath signpost at Devil's Dyke, West Sussex

Countryside and woodland in Sussex

Signpost and stile on Ditchling Beacon, East Sussex

Turner’s Vision at Petworth exhibition

21 June – 16 November: for the first time in over twenty years, a selection of JMW Turner’s studies of Petworth’s extraordinary landscape are exhibited in the very place that inspired him. Discover more about Turner’s experiments with colour, use of materials and artistic vision, in this 250th anniversary celebration of the artist’s birth. Normal admission plus adult £10, child £5 (including National Trust members).

The Art of Illusion: The Theatrical World of Oliver Messel

A new exhibition delving into the work of Oliver Messel opens on Saturday 14 June and will celebrate the life of Britain’s leading stage designer of the mid-20th Century. The displays will explore the designer’s lifetime of creative output which was influenced by his childhood spent at Nymans. The exhibition will cover his work in interior design, film and theatre. Some of the objects on public display for the first time include a newly acquired portrait of his sister Anne, plus theatre props for Glyndebourne performances and a recreation of an opera set.

We're Going on a Ghost Hunt™ at Standen

4 Oct to 2 Nov. We’re going on a ghost hunt. Come and join the fun! Can we find them all? Yes! Run, run, run! Based on the bestselling children’s books, this Halloween the bunnies are setting off on an adventure to find the ghosts hidden around the garden at Standen with heaps of exciting things to see and do along the way.

Illustration of four bunnies running in front of a setting moon for the We're Going on a Ghost Hunt ™ family Halloween trail this October half term

From Garden to Glory: The Cricket Legacy of Sheffield Park

27 Sept to 23 Nov. Sheffield Park and Garden celebrates the life and legacy of Henry North Holroyd, 3rd Earl of Sheffield, whose passion for cricket and influence on Sussex’s sporting and railway history left a lasting mark both locally and internationally through his patronage, hosting of historic matches and founding of the iconic Sheffield Shield.

Children play cricket on a grassy field in summer. Adults in cricket club kit are bowling and fielding. One child bats, while others line up to take a turn.

Diwali at Bateman's

17 to 20 October. Bateman’s invites you to a four-day Diwali celebration that blends Indian culture, crafts, cuisine, and Rudyard Kipling’s Anglo-Indian heritage in a vibrant Festival of Lights experience. Learn more about Kipling's links to India and take part in family-friendly crafts, browse for Indian gifts and enjoy a delicious curry at the Mulberry tea-room.

Pink and orange handmade paper lotus flowers

Ghost Written: An Exhibition

This exhibition explores the written heritage of Lamb House, home to some of the leading literary voices of the 20th century, through its ghost stories. 28 February - 22 December.

This Christmas 2025, we're bringing festive traditions to life at our country houses, atmospheric gardens and wintry countryside in Sussex.

A Fairytale Christmas at Nymans

22 Nov - 4 Jan. Join us for A Fairytale Christmas at Nymans this winter. In the garden, a Christmas family adventure trail awaits, leading you through classic fairytales. Find Aladdin’s cave of treasures, play a game with Red Riding Hood’s basket of treats and take a seat in Cinderella’s carriage. Created by Tin Shed scenery, the makers of last year’s magical Narnia-inspired garden trail. Delve deeper into a land of make-believe inside the house, where rooms are transformed with fairytale scenes and Christmas trees.

All I Want for Christmas at Standen

16 Nov – 5 Jan. The Arts and Crafts style rooms at Standen are dressed with softly lit Christmas trees and decorations inspired by the Beale family's wishes for Christmas. During 'Twilight Lates' weekends in December, see the house atmospherically lit for Christmas. From 16th November see the Standen Christmas tree in the Courtyard and for families, don't miss our fun festive event - 'Finding Father Christmas' with theatre company This is my Theatre.

A girl looking at a festive festoon at Cragside, Northumberland

Christmas and New Year at Sheffield Park and Garden

Enjoy Christmas carols, wreath making and lots more as Sheffield Park once again plays host to Father Christmas and his (naughty and nice) elves!

Christmas photo stops at Sheffield Park and Garden

Christmas at Bateman's

15 Nov to 4 Jan. This year, the magic of The Jungle Book returns. Explore the house and spot Mowgli’s animal friends swinging, climbing, hiding, and leaping through the rooms in a joyful celebration of Kipling’s timeless tale.

The Jungle Book themed Christmas Decorations in the Hall at Bateman's, East Sussex

Christmas at Bodiam Castle

29 Nov to 4 Jan. Unwrap Bodiam Castle this Christmas. With twinkling lights, Christmas trees in tower rooms, Father Christmas’s sleigh in the castle courtyard and warming treats in the Wharf tea-room, experience the charm of Bodiam Castle this Christmas.

Christmas wreaths on the doors to the castle

Discover shifting sands, salt marshes and a vibrant coastal hub on the Sussex coast.

Birling Gap and the Seven Sisters

Discover what to see and do at Birling Gap and the Seven Sisters. Fossil hunt on the beach, walk on the historic downland or enjoy the views as you spot birds.

Woman walking her dog on the beach, with chalk cliffs behind, at Birling Gap, East USsex

The beach at East Head

Explore East Head beach. With space to play, scenic walks and interesting wildlife to discover, there's lots to see and do at this popular spot.

Two people walking across the sand at East Head in West Sussex with the rough wooden posts of an old groyne in the foreground and the sea sparkling in the distance

Sussex is home to one of the National Trust's top castles.

Bodiam Castle

With its full moat, original wooden portcullis, murder holes, spiral staircases and battlements, a visit to Bodiam Castle provides a glimpse back in time to the 14th century. Enough of the interior ruins survive to give an impression of castle life, and on selected dates, look out for tours, talks, armour demonstrations and family trails to find out more about the people who lived and worked here.

Woodlands Cottage

This gamekeeper’s cottage is surrounded by woodland on the Nymans estate.

The Morris Apartment

A one-bedroom apartment in trademark Arts and Crafts style, on the second floor of Standen House.

Find out about the conservation, biodiversity, community, wildlife and nature work taking place in Sussex

Changing Chalk partnership

The South Downs have been a place to live, work and play for thousands of years. Together we can make sure they will be enjoyed for thousands more. Learn how the projects of the Changing Chalk partnership, led by the National Trust, are restoring lost habitats, bringing histories to life, and providing new outdoor experiences across the eastern South Downs, and discover how you can get involved.