Discover more at Uppark House and Garden
Find out when Uppark House and Garden is open, how to get here, the things to see and do and more.
Project
Uppark repairs and improvement work 2024–2025
From January 2024 to July 2025, Uppark House and Garden was closed to visitors for essential work to improve security, safety and facilities, including a major project to connect Uppark to the sewage main.
Essential infrastructure work
The majority of the work involved upgrades to the infrastructure at Uppark, improving facilities and ensuring they met regulatory standards.
We fitted a new fire alarm system and emergency lighting in the house and pavilions, improved the electrical systems to make them safer, repaired the intruder alarm system and upgraded the CCTV.
We replaced our ageing biomass boilers with new, more efficient, ones and installed a new drinking water system.
By upgrading the heating systems in the house, we took a first step towards creating conditions that will better protect Uppark’s beautiful and historic collections, by maintaining consistent temperature and humidity levels.
Connecting Uppark
We also connected Uppark to the mains sewage system for the first time. This means no more transporting waste off site in tankers and no future disturbances to the Grade II* registered garden and parkland at Uppark, or the South Downs National Park.
The sewage project involved constructing a new pump station at Uppark and running a pipe to the mains discharge point at the nearby village of South Harting.
We've designed the system so that it will empty into the mains at South Harting during off-peak hours only.
Smaller projects
Along with these major works, we also carried out a number of smaller indoor and outdoor conservation and renovation projects while Uppark was closed.
Staff and volunteers have been working on the gardens so that they'll be more attractive and more colourful, especially during peak times of year.
On the north-east side of the Wide Glade, we've restored over 50 metres of mixed borders, while on the south side we've planted trees to create a shaded section of path with a seating area.
In the Scented Garden, a mix of old and new rose varieties will provide both fragrant flowers and foliage, while an additional section of yew hedge screens off the Stable Block and service buildings.
We've also redecorated the bookshop and Golden Gate kiosk and carried out a small refurbishment of the tunnel toilets.
Continuing work
As the project came to an end, we were able to begin some additional external conservation work to the south face of the house.
This means there will be some scaffolding on the south side of the building until October 2025.
Once complete, this extra work will improve the look of this side of the house and will help to preserve it for the future.
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