Petworth House and Park

Important notice -

We’re open seven days a week and you don’t need to book your visit in advance.

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

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. The House, Pleasure Garden, Deer Park, Audit Room Café, shop and second-hand bookshop are open. Here's some helpful information about what to expect, and what is on offer when you visit.

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Petworth House and Park

Things to see and do

A young girl gazes up at the woodland canopy as she stands near a fallen log

Family activities at Petworth 

Have fun with the family at Petworth this summer. From outdoor forest bathing, to nocturnal wildlife walks and ice creams in the sunshine, here’s a list of enjoyable things to try and our upcoming events.

An oil painting depicting Petworth Park at dawn featuring a mottled green foreground, with a blue sky tinged with yellow strikes and a central focus of paint forming the sun

Lucy Marks’ Dawn to Dusk exhibition at Petworth  

Sussex artist Lucy Marks is following in J.M.W. Turner’s footsteps for her solo exhibition Dawn to Dusk at Petworth House. Saturday 3 July – Sunday 19 September 2021, 10:30am-4:30pm.

Visitor to Petworth park sitting on a wooden bench looking at the view across open countryside of fields and trees with the South Downs in the distance.

What’s on at Petworth  

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

Carved Room at Petworth House

Carving a legacy Grinling Gibbons at Petworth House 

2021 marks the start of a year-long celebration of Grinling Gibbons (1648-1721), the most famous artist-carver in British history. Come and see some of his exquisite work in the Carved Room at Petworth House. Visitors will be able to explore and enjoy the carvings’ incredible intricacy in more detail from Monday 2 August, thanks to new lighting, and discover the story behind Gibbons and the Petworth carvings.

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.

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 garden at Petworth was designed by ‘Capability’ Brown (c.1715-16 - 1783) during the latter half of the 18th century. Brown removed the formal features that previously existed here and introduced serpentine paths as well as informal planting.

Enjoy breathtaking views towards the South Downs

Petworth Deer Park 

Find out more about what you can do in the 700 acre Petworth Deer 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 Audit Room Café is open and is serving hot and cold meals and drinks, sandwiches and light snacks. From 19 July, our café will revert to pre-covid seating layout. We will continue to maintain high standards of cleanliness and till and collection points will be screened. Hand sanitiser will be available should visitors wish to use it. Thank you for making this a safe experience for everyone.

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Petworth House and Park

Shopping

Floral pink cushions sit on a table

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

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