Petworth House and Park

Important notice -

The house, garden and park at Petworth are open. On weekdays you don’t need to pre-book your visit. At busier times, like weekends and school holidays, booking is recommended to guarantee entry.

Inspired by the Baroque palaces of Europe and nestled in the South Downs, Petworth House displays one of the finest art collections in the care of the National Trust.

Please book ahead before visiting Check availability

More about this place

View of Petworth, West Sussex, seen over the lake, part of the Capability Brown landscaped parkland.

Visiting Petworth House and Park: What you need to know  

We look forward to welcoming you to Petworth House and Park. Things may seem a little different this year, however all measures have been put in place to keep our staff, volunteers and visitors safe. Petworth House, Pleasure Garden, deer park, Audit Room Café, shop and second-hand bookshop are open. Here's some helpful information about how to book tickets, what to expect, and what is on offer when you visit.

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Petworth House and Park

What's on 

Petworth   West Sussex

Please book ahead before visiting

Petworth House will reopen from Mon 17 May. To avoid disappointment please book your tickets in advance by 3pm the day before your visit, especially at busier times such as weekends and bank holidays. However, where space is available on weekdays, pre-booking isn't always necessary. Members can book for free, while non-members will need to pay when booking. We’ll be releasing tickets every Friday. We look forward to welcoming you back.

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Upcoming events

See all events

Timed entry to Petworth (14 June - 20 June)

Sat 19 Jun 2021
10:00-16:00
Book your timed entry to visit Petworth.

Timed entry to Petworth (21 June - 27 June)

Mon 21 Jun 2021
10:00-16:00
Book your timed entry to visit Petworth.
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Petworth House and Park

Things to see and do

A lady with short brown hair looks at the screen of her digital camera, while a blonde haired lady holds her camera to her eye and takes a picture

Learning in the landscape 

Enjoy yoga, photography and art courses at Petworth Park run by Aspire Sussex from Wed 9 Jun - Sat 25 Sep 2021. Here, you can experience a backdrop of rich countryside with herds of majestic deer roaming around, as you learn from experienced tutors about how to begin or enhance your creative skills.

View of Petworth, West Sussex, seen over the lake, part of the Capability Brown landscaped parkland.

The Petworth Park Antiques & Fine Art Fair  

From Fri 18 - Sun 20 Jun, explore the vast array of fascinating antiques and fine art on show and for sale at this fair held in Petworth Park. Fri 18 Jun (11am-6pm), Sat 19 Jun (10.30am-6pm) and Sun 20 Jun (10.30am-5pm). Tickets: £5, including re-admission. Free entry with a programme for National Trust members and visitors who have purchased a ticket to Petworth House.

Two visitors are sitting on a hill looking out at the view of Petworth Park, West Sussex

What’s on at Petworth  

Take a look at the events happening at Petworth, from yoga, photography and art courses in the park, to the antiques fair and art exhibition. Some events are free while others require a booked ticket. Please read each event's information for details.

The West Front of the Petworth mansion from the Pleasure Ground

An introduction to Petworth House and Park 

Find out what Petworth House and Park has to offer from its extraordinary collection and 900 years of history to its atmospheric Servants' Quarters and the 700 acre Lancelot 'Capability' Brown landscaped Deer Park.

The Somerset Room at Petworth House and Park, West Sussex

The state rooms of Petworth House 

With a history stretching from the 12th century, find out more about the state rooms of Petworth House that are open to visit and the extraordinary collection of art on display.

The Historic Kitchen in the Servants' Quarters at Petworth House and Park

The Servants' Quarters at Petworth House 

Find out more about the rooms in the Servants' Quarters and get a sense of what life was like for the staff at Petworth.

Oxeye daisies with white petals grow tall amongst the green of the grass, while trees full of green summer leaves stand in the background

The Pleasure Garden at Petworth 

The formal gardens of Petworth were stripped away by Capability Brown in the 18th century. In their place he constructed the Deer Park and a separate garden - a wooded walk with open spaces designed to inspire a range of emotions.

Enjoy breathtaking views towards the South Downs

Petworth Deer Park 

Find out more about what you can do in the 700 acre Petworth Park from the walks you can wander, the wildlife you can see and further information about dog walking, access and safety.

Spaniel at Petworth Park

Walking your dog at Petworth  

We love dogs here at Petworth, in fact Spaniels were the favourite pet of the 3rd Earl of Egremont. We welcome dogs to stretch their legs in Petworth Park and in the garden.

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Petworth House and Park

Eating

Coffee cup

Feeling peckish? 

The Audit Room Café is open with a selection of hot and cold food. The Fire Engine Kiosk is open and is serving a limited range of takeaway hot and cold drinks and cakes. We have safety measures in place to keep our team and you safe including screens at our till and collection point, and way marked routes. We’ll also only be accepting card payment. We look forward to welcoming you on your next visit.

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Petworth House and Park

Shopping

Three shelves of books lined up in the shop at Petworth

Shopping at Petworth House 

Take inspiration from Petworth's unique art collection and countryside landscape to find the perfect mementos to take home in our gift shop. You’ll find a range of art inspired gifts, stylish homeware, souvenirs, gardening must-haves, books to browse and locally produced products.

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Petworth House and Park

History

View of Petworth, West Sussex, seen over the lake, part of the Capability Brown landscaped parkland.

A snapshot history of Petworth House and Park 

Find out more about the history of Petworth from the family tree to the history of the building and even the story about the transformation of the formal garden to parkland.

A photograph of St Mary's Church in Petworth

The history of Petworth Town 

Find out more about the history of Petworth town and how it has connected to Petworth House and Park for generations. Petworth House is part of the Petworth Heritage Partnership, a celebration of the history of this remarkable town which you can explore through a virtual experience.

Close view of a sculpture bust and picture frames in the North Gallery at Petworth House, West Sussex

Petworth House downloadable house tour 

Discover more about Petworth House with our downloadable house tour. The tour will give you an overview of the history of the house and family as well as pointing out highlights in the collection.

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Petworth House and Park

Art and collections

The Molyneux globe in the North Gallery at Petwoth House

Molyneux globe at Petworth House 

Made in 1592, this world-class object on view in Petworth's Red Room, is thought to be the earliest English terrestrial globe in existence and at its time would have been the most up to date representation of how the world was understood.

Part of a dessert service, soft-paste porcelain, painted and gilded, made by the Sèvres factory (France), 1773-4. The Egremont Collection.

Dining in style at Petworth House 

Petworth houses some of the finest ceramics in the National Trust. Our curator and collections team previously displayed some important 18th-century European porcelain dining services on loan from The Egremont Collection. To see this collection, take a look at this online version of the tableware displays.

Characters from Spenser's Faery Queen watercolour by William Blake (detail)

William Blake's dreamy rendering of The Faerie Queene 

Epic and intricate, The Faerie Queene dazzled Queen Elizabeth I when it was published. Nearly 250 years later, William Blake painted the poem’s characters in ethereal watercolours. But what do the characters represent, and how does Blake illustrate them?

A photo of an open page of The 'Canterbury Tales' Chaucer manuscript at Petworth

Read a digitised version of Petworth's Chaucer manuscript 

There are incredible literary treasures at Petworth including one of the earliest copies of Chaucer's 'Canterbury Tales'. We've digitised our copy so you can explore every page here.

Our collections

Explore the objects and works of art we care for at Petworth House and Park on the National Trust Collections website

Search the collections
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