Petworth House and Park

Important notice -

In line with government guidance, Petworth Park is open for local visitors to access for walks. We ask all visitors to follow guidance on social distancing. If the car park is full please return another time - please do not park on the verges.

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.

More about this place

A family enjoying the outdoors in autumn or winter

Visiting information for this winter 

In England and Northern Ireland, our gardens, parks and countryside remain open for local people to exercise. Shops, houses and other indoor areas are closed, and cafés are takeaway only. The safety of our staff, volunteers and visitors from the nearby community remains our priority and we urge you to book your visits in advance and stay local. All places in Wales are currently closed. Please check the property webpage before you travel.

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Petworth House and Park

What's on 

Petworth   West Sussex

Please book ahead before visiting

We are in a national lockdown. The house, pleasure gardens, cafe, shop and toilets at Petworth are closed. Petworth park remains open for local visitors to access for walks and does not require pre-booking. If the car park is full please return another time. Please do not park on roadsides or verges.

Book now

Upcoming events

Sorry, there are no upcoming events at this place.

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Petworth House and Park

Things to see and do

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

Petworth House downloadable house tour 

Unfortunately the house is now closed due to the national lockdown but you can 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.

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 Pleasure Ground.

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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.

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Petworth House and Park

Art and collections

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 recently redisplayed some important 18th-century European porcelain dining services on loan from The Egremont Collection. While Petworth House is closed, and at a time when many more of us are dining at home, we have created this online version of the tableware displays for you to enjoy.

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.

The Molyneux Globe in the North Gallery at Petwoth House

The Molyneux Globe at Petworth House 

Made in 1592, this world-class object on view in the North Gallery 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.

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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© National Trust Registered Charity 205846 Heelis, Kemble Drive, Swindon SN2 2NA

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