Petworth House and Park

Important notice -

Petworth House opens on Mon 17 May. The garden, park and house 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. The Pleasure Garden, deer park, shop and second-hand bookshop are open. Petworth House and Audit Room Café open on Mon 17 May. 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

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Timed entry to Petworth (17 May - 23 May)

Mon 17 May 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 with Aspire Sussex from Fri 4 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.

Young boy wearing a yellow t-shirt and green rucksack smiling at the camera while sitting on a historical rotunda with green fields in the background

May half term children's trail at Petworth

Discover the Pleasure Garden at Petworth in the footsteps of famous artists that have explored before you on this adventure for all the family. Follow the map to seek out the large picture frames located across the historic grounds, and have fun drawing everything from landscapes to portraits and nature. Sat 29 May till Sun 6 June, 10am-4pm, £2.50 per child.

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.

The rotunda built in 1766, and daffodils in the park at Petworth House, West Sussex

The Petworth Garden: a Pleasure Ground 

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 seperate Pleasure Ground - 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? 

Our Meadow Takeaway Kiosk is open in the Main Visitor Car Park and is serving a limited range of takeaway hot and cold drinks and cakes. The Audit Room Café will open from Mon 17 May. 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

The Servants' Quarters gift shop at Petworth

Servants' Quarters Shop 

Our shop is back open again so why not pop in on your visit and take inspiration from Petworth's unique art collection and landscape to find the perfect mementos and gifts.

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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

Our work

Historic brick stable buildings at Petworth

Repairs to the historic stable roof at Petworth  

The roof of the historic stables at Petworth House has partially collapsed and needs essential repairs and maintenance carried out. We want to save this historic structure from collapse and - as the building runs alongside the road - it needs an immediate response for safety. Unfortunately, this means a road closure at Park Road and diversion to the one-way system for one month starting on Mon 17 May 2021.

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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

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