Petworth House, Petworth, West Sussex

Back in October 2011, I was treated to a one night stay in a hotel near Arundel in West Sussex and while I was there with my daughter, son-in-law and my grandson we spent a very happy day at a wonderful National trust property called Petworth house and Park. This beautiful place is one of the great heritages that have inspired so many artists, writers, royalty and famous landscape gardeners to turn an old house into something that we, as a nation should be proud to have in our country. It’s one of the most lovely and accessible properties I have visited to date and one that still lingers in my mind as a place I want to revisit again and again. I’ll be honored to share it with you, but will try to keep the review concise to give you a taste of something that would take pages to describe in detail.

Overview.

Petworth Park, Pleasure ground and House is set in a 700 acre park with the finest unspoiled landscapes in English style and home to the largest and oldest herd of fallow deer in England. The estate is run by the National Trust but is the property of the 3rd Lord Leconfield who gave the house to the National Trust in 1947 to persevere it for the people. It’s in a quiet corner of the country but near to Pulborough and also fairly close to Arundel castle with it’s own long history. This whole area is in the rich countryside of the rolling Sussex Downs and has a connection with royalty from the early years of the Norman Conquest. There is even a mention of the land tenure to William de Percy, 8th baron (1193-1245), though the house was built, as many have been on the ruins of earlier houses.

Although the house itself is mainly classed as an 18th century house, it’s much older in parts and was very prominent in the 1600’s when much work was carried out. You can see the influences of different styles in the architecture but on first sight emerging from the ancient oak trees it looks a stunning picture of a classical house, being long and formally arranged. The gardens themselves are a review in itself, but were the work of Lancelot Brown though an early work, it was designed to blend in with the landscape and resisted the temptation of the more formal arrangement.

A brief History.

The estate was granted to the Percy family in 1151 and stayed in their line for many centuries, passing from father to son. With the dynasty came great honours and the Earldom of Northumberland in 1377 but also to death and later dishonour. For centuries the family were inveigled in the doings of royalty and the name of Percy crops up in other places as well as this estate. The manor was added to and extended by the 8th 9th and 10th earls of Northumberland in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.

The 10th earl’s granddaughter, Elizabeth, the Percy family heiress, married Charles Seymour (6th Earl of Somerset) in 1682 and he used her money to rebuild Petworth, leaning heavily to the French influences of the era. Daniel Marot, a French Huguenot, employed by William 111, probably redesigned the present house. The 10th earl who was a patron of the arts and a personal friend of Van Dyck started the wonderful collection of paintings and statuary that are still part of the largest collection of national trust Art in one place, with rooms full of paintings, etching, books and murals.

The ‘Golden Age’ of the collections started with the friendship and patronage of the 3rd Earl of Egremont, George O’Brien Wyndham with William Turner who was then very much a draftsman painter and still to develop his more relaxed style with the wonderful shades of light and mist that he is best known for. The 3rd Earl was also an agriculturist, a philanthropist and a keen racehorse owner. He commissioned several works around the estate and built on the legacy left to him by the work of ‘Capability’ Brown who made the impressive lake, which is still a focal part of the park.

The Grounds and the park.

There are two entrances into the park; one is the town entrance through the Church Lodge. We entered by road and left the car in the car park passing through reception where we paid and got our tickets before starting on what is lovingly called ‘The Welly Walk’ where you are invited to don your wellies and enjoy a walk in the Pleasure grounds. This is a long oval-shaped walk that takes in some unspoiled areas of wood with a pathway that’s suitable for wheelchair access. Jack was particularly taken with the map, which he followed, being the head explorer with his nanny following in his wake while mum and dad had a slow stroll, arm in arm.

We headed straight for the Ionic Rotunda that is set on a hill and is a feature of the grounds with lovely views across the open parkland to one side and the hills to the other. After exploring we proceeded onwards to windy corner via the chestnut trees, which were just about to burst their spiny pods to reveal the inner conkers. I explained them to Jack who wanted to find the granddaddy of all, but we went on with a pocketful. In a placid corner sheltered from the wind were banks of flowers still out and some amazing cyclamens growing without restrictions. This is in keeping with the very laid-back style of the grounds and house and I only saw a few ‘Please don’t touch’ signs in the whole place.

Many stately homes now have child-friendly areas and Petworth has carved wooden seats, play areas with toadstools, a blackened kettle over an open fire that looked just as if it had been left minutes before. There is a boundary wall to the grounds to keep the deer in (or the people out), it’s deer rutting season and they do come right up to the house itself. I don’t think I’d want to meet one in the grounds.

After scrambling through bushes and admiring ancient oak trees we came to the Doric temple on the Orange lawn just in sight of the house. We played with a Frisbee for a while to let off some more steam before entering the house and the long tour through what I knew would be wonderful for the adults, but maybe tiring for Jack. We didn’t enter the large park as there really wasn’t enough time, but I’d love to go back and see the manmade lake, framed by a boathouse and a statue of one of the late earl’s favourite dogs. I must mention that we could go anywhere we anted and this had the affect of children behaving very well.

The Kitchens, shop, restaurant and toilets.

This is outside the main house and connected by a secret passage that was unfortunately shut that day. But we had a light meal, made up to any order and not too expensive considering the national trust is normally expensive. I had a butter free roll with ham, salad and fiery chutney. We could have had a meal for about seven pounds but time was pressing on. After using the clean toilets we went into the house, marveling at the huge columns at the entrance.

The House.

Starting on the ground floor we left our belongings in the cloakroom to save carrying them around. Photography is allowed and several people were using ordinary cameras. This was astonishing given the age of the exhibits. Another thing I found amazing was the ability to stand right next to a painting, statue or other exhibit and even touch one if we wanted to. I haven’t come across this before and again it caused people to behave much more restrained than I would have expected. At the entrance Jack was given a child’s map and things to find in the various rooms we entered, also a small drawing pad and pencils. He decided to do a drawing in every room and bless him, he did it. (Completely outdoing his Nan who could only gape open-mouthed at the treasures everywhere.)

The Rooms.

I’m not going to list them all as it would spoil the surprise should you visit for yourself. Every room is crammed with carved panels, paintings, sculptures and much, much more. It’s a cultural paradise but I appreciate that not everyone will be as bowled over as I was by the treasures on show.

The main collection is in the North gallery which spreads across the entire wing and houses a plethora of paintings by the following artists just to name a few; -
Constable, Turner (19 in all), Blake (a rare find), Reynolds, Van Dyke, Titian, Grinling Gibbons (mainly carvings). There are some very rare sculptures and the oldest globe in the country and possibly the world, dating back to the 1500’s. It’s not behind glass or framed, but I wouldn’t touch it, as it’s so fragile. In another room is a handwritten copy of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales and is a beautiful piece of history. The lettering is superb and the capital letters a flourish of vines and gold leaf. This is kept under glass but you can get close up to it.

The Carved Room.

A spectacular room with carvings by Grinling Gibbons, four Turner’s and a large painting of Henry V111. The room is like a long corridor and looks out over the deer park.

The Marble hall.

Another stunning room that is at the foot of the great hall with its sweeping staircase, this is truly opulent and so visually lovely I had to sit down to gaze upwards to take it in. Jack sat quietly by my feet attempting to get the curve of the stairs in his picture. There are portraits of some of the family and it’s interesting to see the familiar face of the Percy family, they all look so alike. The stairs feature murals by Louis Laguerre (1718-1720) and I can only guess the height as the size of four men. The colours are bright and royal purples vie with red and gold everywhere. It’s a stark contrast then to see the few painting by the poet Blake, whose work is on show in the North room.

The Square Dining Room.

This was open for the day, a rare occasssion as it has many pictures of the present family and some large photos that look like paintings. It’s beautifully done, but a bit tongue-in-cheek. There are some rare books here as well as vases and other collections. The table is laid as for dinner and it’s a part of the Christmas festivities to see the table laid in Christmas style.

The Red Room.

Opulent and exotic, with some very rare Dutch paintings, some so small you can hardly see them.

The Somerset Room.

This is where you can see Chaucer’s tales and my daughter spent ages looking at it. Jack said it was ‘fussy’, he preferred the paintings, helping me to identify the Turners.

The Chapel.

Worth a brief mention as it’s the oldest part of the house and virtually untouched. You can sit in the ancient pews or on the side benches and gaze at the jeweled windows. Jack sat and attempted a side window and made a valiant attempt for a six-year-old. The Percy faces peer down from their stained glass windows reminding us of the passage of time. I found it cold and a little spooky, even a touch austere after the lovely paintings.

Summing up.

As you can see, I’ve only scratched the surface, there is so much to put in that I’d be writing a book. I’d say that this is as close as you can get to grandeur and see the close-up of paintings, even down to the brushstrokes.
The servant’s quarters and the kitchens are a joy, with gleaming copper kettles and saucepans. They even leave caps of the cooks to try on. The whole place is a hand’s on experience.

Prices.

Adults £10.90
Children £5.50
Family ticket £27.30

This is an overall guide, it’s a good idea to check with the website for times of entry as they vary so much. Generally the park is open all year but the house is only open from March to November.

Disabled Facilities.

Excellent throughout with wheelchair access to most rooms. Wheelchairs can also be loaned on the day. There is Braille information sheets, induction loops, and chairs to sit on in most rooms for people like me who tire easily.

Every care is taken to offer food for vegans, vegetarians, and the hygiene is impressive. Considering what you get for your money this is inexpensive, especially if you have NT membership.

There are many different features of the house and gardens I’ve left out. There is also a lot of events throughout the year with talks on all kinds of things and either light refreshments or a full meal. You can even try your hand at different crafts or buy all your Christmas presents at the massive Christmas fair.

I hope you have had time to read my review. This is a wonderful place and I can’t do it full justice. I read another review and wanted to add to it. There really is something for everyone here and I hope you visit one day.

Suggested site www.nationaltrust.org.uk/petworth.

Due to the many valuable paintings and tapestries etc, I couldn’t take any pictures on the day. It really is worth looking at though.

Thanks for reading.

©Lisa Fuller November 2011. this review may appear on other sites.