Petworth with kids – Sussex National Trust

Grand house, lashings of history, gorgeous gardens… Petworth has everything you’d expect from a National Trust property – but from the deer park to its family-friendly activities, there are some added reasons to visit Petworth with kids.

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Set in the heart of the South Downs, the Sussex National Trust site is best known for its artistic links – Turner painted it, while elegant Petworth House, inspired by the Baroque palaces of Europe, has its own impressive collection of art and sculpture inside.

But if you think your family is unlikely to be wowed by the thought of works by Van Dyck and Gainsborough, don’t cut Petworth from your list of things to do in Sussex with kids: when we visited, we easily whiled away hours exploring the gardens and the grounds of Petworth Park, even without going into the house itself.

Stopping on our way down to the Sussex coast – staying not far from the beach at West Wittering – there was a special family trail running (with more planned for school holidays throughout the year).

And while the National Trust is always good at family-friendly activities, there were some really inventive ideas to help explore Petworth Park with kids, themed around the Spring sounds, sights and even some tips on sustainability.

Marvelling at the giant trees and drinking in the gorgeous spring blossom, the trail led us through the gardens past the two temples – the Doric temple and the famous rotunda – and through the trees.

While my daughter was busy collecting challenges and picking her way carefully through the daffodils, I stopped to read the thought-provoking words on a memorial to a son of the house, killed in wartime.

And round the corner, a colourful surprise with a spot of yarnbombing: everything from the trees to the benches were decorated in a rainbow of colours, including pompoms on some of the trunks which Minnie couldn’t resist playing with, plus a multicoloured sign spelling out Petworth.

Don’t miss the sundial as you explore too: stand in the right position and your shadow helps to tell the time – and when you’ve finished experimenting, there’s a gorgeous view down from the hilltop here as well.

One of the best views came at the edge of the gardens, by the wall dividing it from the deer park. Looking through the gold photo frame, you could believe this timeless expanse of Sussex countryside hadn’t changed for centuries.

In fact, it’s the work of England’s most famous landscape designer, Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown, who turned his talents to shaping the pleasure grounds, as they were known, in his trademark naturalistic fashion during the mid 18th century.

My daughter, meanwhile, was given the challenge of imagining what she might have seen if the frame gave a view back over the centuries, which took us down some rather fun paths into history – some more realistic than others, although I liked her visions of Romans and Vikings tramping over the South Downs as well.

From the back of the gardens, near the house, you can wander through the gate into the deer park as well: stretching for 700 acres with a 14-mile wall enclosing it, it’s so big that it’s easy to forget this isn’t the open countryside.

And on a sunny day, it’s a beautiful spot for a walk. We headed over to the upper pond – a rather understated name for a gorgeous stretch of water, shining blue with a stone boathouse at one end, birds galore swimming around the water (mostly looking optimistically to see if we had any food) and a fabulous view back to the house itself.

There are several walking routes you can choose: after wandering around the Upper Pond, we headed up onto the springy tussocks of grass, with my daughter bouncing from one to another, and looked out for some of the huge trunks of trees which had fallen and been left as habitats for the animals living here.

Wandering further down the hill, past the haha – the ditch stopping the deer from leaping into the gardens and scoffing their way through the beautifully planted flowers – we headed towards the lower pond… and in search of the deer.

I was just starting to wonder if the 600-odd deer had escaped when we found some of them, lounging contentedly in the shade of a tree.

After trying to count them and being slightly defeated by the camouflage of their colours under the dappled light – at least a few dozen, we thought, although no stags in evidence – we decided the deer had the right idea and it was just too hot to finish walking all the way down to the lower pond.

For a chance to see more of the grounds at Petworth Park, check out my video on Instagram

Ordinarily there are different entrances into the deer park but all the gates we found seemed to be locked, so we retraced our steps back to the gardens – there is also an exit from near the cafe kiosk to Petworth village if you want to explore there while leaving your car behind.

Some of the homes here would once have belonged to those who worked on the estate: look out for the brown doors, as well as Mrs Cummings’ Cottage, now a museum.

When the house reopens, there’s plenty more to entertain if you’re visiting Petworth with kids: the Servants’ Quarters give you a glimpse of the people who worked at Petworth House and Park over the centuries, those who kept the indulgent gilded lifestyle of the family running smoothly.

While it was closed during our visit, we could go into the building to check out the shop and second-hand bookshop (with a kids’ section that’s definitely worth a look), and even a brief peek got us imagining how it might have been, with servants bustling down the corridors.

Big enough to cater to tens of thousands of guests (and with 1,000 copper pots and pans in the main kitchens), I’m always fascinated by a peek at this side of stately homes – it makes me think of swans, with the serene elegance of the aristocracy on the surface, and manic frantic action hidden from view.

The estate has belonged to the one family for over 900 years (although the names have changed, passing from the Percys to the Seymours and Wyndhams along the way), starting as a manor house back in Norman times.

The chapel was part of the medieval great house, dating back to the early 14th century, before it was rebuilt in the 17th century, inspired by the Palace of Versailles.

A great option for a rainy day in Sussex with kids, check out my other tips for days out in bad weather

You can trace the country’s history through its owners too: in Tudor times, the Catholic Percys were suspected of plots and held here under house arrest, far from their stronghold in the north, while they also had links to the Gunpowder plot.

Later, the 3rd Earl of Egremont – one 18th century owner – acted as patron to several artists including Turner and Constable, who were both guests, helping to create that impressive collection of artworks in the grand staterooms.

Petworth is home to the earliest English globe in existence too, dating from 1592 – there are only only six Molyneux globes known to survive today, and this hugely expensive luxury was supposedly given to the ‘Wizard Earl’, Henry Percy, by Sir Walter Raleigh when they were both held in the Tower of London.

A bill for globe repair almost a decade earlier suggests that might not be true… But with tantalising treasures like that still to discover – and more deer left to spot – I’m sure this won’t be our last visit to this gorgeous Sussex National Trust site.

For more ideas of things to in Sussex with kids, check out my pick of the best days out for families, as well as the best castles in Sussex

Need to know: Visiting Petworth with kids

Tickets to Petworth House are free for members, and cost from £19 for adults, £9.50 for kids, with family tickets also available and lower prices during the winter months.

Parking is also free to National Trust members, £4 to non-members (you can use the PayByPhone app, location number 803377 if you prefer a contactless option – it’s worth having a payment back-up, as phone signal isn’t always the strongest here)

And for actual hungry appetites, there’s a cafe, as well as outdoor tables. You can picnic on the grass, as well as getting snacks, drinks and ice creams from the kiosk nearby too.

For a chance to explore more of the countryside nearby, we took a llama walk in the Surrey Hills, just across the county border, as part of a stay at The Merry Harriers in Hambledon

PIN FOR LATER: PETWORTH HOUSE AND PARK, SUSSEX

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