Petworth: Country House, Parkland and Walking Trails

Petworth lies in the heart of the South Downs National Park and combines impressive parkland with an unusually diverse cultural history. Anyone looking for a holiday apartment or holiday cottage in Petworth can shape their stay around their own interests: highlights include Petworth House, historical insights, art, paths through the landscape and cultural events. For families wishing to combine culture and activity, the town therefore offers a range of focal points, without every day of the holiday having to look the same.

Petworth House and stories from the town

Petworth House is a 17th-century country house and contains one of the most significant art collections held by the National Trust. At the same time, the house has been associated with a single family for over 900 years. This long connection shapes the historic character of the place, while the Servants’ Quarters offer a separate insight into the lives of the people who worked there. The Petworth Cottage Museum complements this focus: it is a cottage belonging to the Leconfield Estate, restored and furnished to reflect how it might have looked around 1910.

There are cultural points of interest for different interests within a travelling group, too. Newlands House Gallery presents modern and contemporary art exhibitions in a restored Grade II listed Georgian townhouse. Leconfield Hall is in the centre of Petworth and serves as both a cinema and an arts centre, offering films, concerts and performances. At St Mary’s Church, the history reaches back to Saxon times. Private prayer is intended there during the day. Those interested in church art and historic religious buildings can therefore include this as a dedicated stop on their itinerary.

Parkland and trails for active days

The 700-acre Deer Park at Petworth is an outstanding surviving and largely unspoilt example of an English landscape designed by Lancelot “Capability” Brown. Petworth Park is open daily to visitors and their dogs throughout the year. For a walk with a clearly specified route, the Capability Brown Parkland Circular Walk is a good option: it is 3 miles, or 4.8 kilometres, long. This information helps you plan a day in the landscape around your other plans, without limiting your stay to a single experience.

For longer walking plans, The Petworth Way connects Haslemere and Arundel and includes historic Petworth as its midpoint. The route includes an overnight stay in Petworth. This also allows the town to be considered as part of a multi-day route. Coultershaw Heritage Site lies 1.5 miles south of Petworth, where the River Rother flows beneath the A285. It is another destination for visitors interested in the local landscape and history.

Events and practical information

Every summer, the Petworth Festival brings performances to unique venues in Petworth and the surrounding villages and towns over a period of two weeks. If you would like to plan your trip around a cultural programme, this festival may be an additional factor to consider when deciding on the timing. The information refers to the festival programme; independently of this, Petworth House, the galleries, Leconfield Hall and the trails offer various possibilities for a stay.

Travel arrangements may also play a role when choosing your accommodation. The nearest railway station is Pulborough station, 4.6 miles from Petworth. Compass bus route No. 99 runs between Chichester and Petworth. Those choosing Petworth as their base can therefore coordinate their cultural plans, time in the parkland and walking plans with these travel options. When choosing holiday accommodation in Petworth, it is also worth considering whether the main focus should be on Petworth House and the cultural attractions, the Deer Park or a walk that includes an overnight stay in the town.

Other places to consider for your trip

If you would like to look at other destinations in addition to Petworth, you can find the direct pages here: Boxgrove, Pagham, Wisborough Green, Hurstpierpoint, Stedham, Walberton, West Wittering and Yapton.

For the higher-level travel overview: West Sussex.