discoverpetworth

Little Antlers at Petworth House
2025-05-07 10:30 - 11:30 UTC | Petworth House
7 MAY 2025
10.30am – 11.30am
Wild Wednesdays:
Roll up your sleeves for our crafts and activities, specially designed to offer a closer look at Petworth House and Park for our littlest visitors. These activities include make and take crafts, and occasionally take place outdoors, so come prepared!

Evening Cabaret at Petworth House
2025-04-25 19:45 - 22:00
25 APRIL 2025

7.45pm – 10.00pm

An evening of cabaret and burlesque, inspired by the sights and sounds of spring. Hosted by award-winning vintage and vaudeville producer Dawn Gracie, expect joyous songs, impressive high kicks, and plenty of belly laughs. Suitable for adults only. Booking essential. £15 per person.

Workshops at Petworth House
2025-04-24 10:00 - 2025-04-27 16:00
24 – 27 APRIL 2025

10.00am – 4.00pm

Attendees can have a go at a heritage craft, including botanical drawing, Indian block printing, cyanotype printing, and willow basket and bird feeder weaving, all at a gentle pace in a relaxing and friendly environment. Booking essential.

Herbal Foraging Walk at Petworth House
2025-04-23 10:30 - 2025-04-25 13:30
23 – 25 APRIL 2025

10.30am – 1.00pm

Laura Uphill from Gwen’s Garden will lead a 2.5-hour foraging walk and talk through the Pleasure Garden and Park. This walk will show how to apply plants as medicines at home and regain knowledge which has been lost over time. Booking essential. £30 per person.

Garden Talks at Petworth House
2025-04-22 10:00 - 2025-04-27 16:00
22 – 27 APRIL 2025
10.00am – 4.00pm
Join a variety of horticultural experts for free talks in the Garden Theatre Marquee. Speakers include Gardeners’ World presenter Adam Frost, Head Gardener of Knepp Charlie Harpur, authors Vanessa Berridge and Rebecca Bevan, daffodil judge and exhibitor Richard Hilson, and National Trust gardeners. Free with admission. No booking required. Check our website for the full programme

Look What I Found in the Woods at Petworth House
2025-04-11 11:00 - 13:00
11 APRIL 2025
11.00am – 1.00pm
Author Moira Butterfield leads families on a one-hour nature treasure hunt around the Pleasure Garden, inspired by her book Look What I Found in the Woods. Booking essential. £13 per child including a copy of the book, £5 without the book.

Spring Festival at Petworth House
2025-04-05 10:00 - 2025-04-27 17:00
5 – 27 APRIL 2025
10.00am – 5.00pm

Our Spring Festival will run from Saturday 5 to Sunday 27 April and will include talks, demonstrations, a community art installation, art and craft workshops, and family activities.
On Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 April there will be a two-day Makers Market, held in partnership with Petworth Pop-Up.
A highlight of the festival will be a series of talks from Tuesday 22 – Sunday 27 April. Join a variety of horticultural experts for talks in the Garden Theatre Marquee. Speakers include Gardeners’ World presenter Adam Frost, Head Gardener of Knepp Charlie Harpur, authors Vanessa Berridge and Rebecca Bevan, daffodil judge and exhibitor Richard Hilson and local National Trust gardeners.
From Saturday 5 – Monday 21 April families can pick up a free ‘Ben Plants a Butterfly Garden’ trail to explore the Pleasure Garden and discover fun games and activities along the way.
Our local community and volunteers have been busy hand crafting bluebells to create a spectacular display in the Exhibition Room, there will also be an opportunity to create your own bluebell and add to this display
Free event, normal admission to Petworth applies.

Family Trail at Petworth House
2025-04-05 10:00 - 2025-04-21 17:00
5 – 21 APRIL 2025
10.00am – 5.00pm
Pick up a free ‘Ben Plants a Butterfly Garden’ trail to explore the Pleasure Garden and discover fun games and activities along the way. Free with admission. No booking required.

Makers Market at Petworth House
2025-04-05 10:00 - 2025-04-06 16:00
5 – 6 APRIL 2025
10.00am – 4.00pm
The festival starts with a two-day Makers Market, held in partnership with Petworth Pop-Up.

Little Antlers at Petworth House
2025-04-02 10:30 - 11:30
2 APRIL 2025
10.30am – 11.30am
Wild Wednesdays:
Roll up your sleeves for our crafts and activities, specially designed to offer a closer look at Petworth House and Park for our littlest visitors. These activities include make and take crafts, and occasionally take place outdoors, so come prepared!

Petworth Laser Show
2025-02-15 15:30 - 19:30
15 FEBRUARY 2025
3.30pm – 7.30pm

Two colourful laser light shows will be coming to Petworth House next month for the first time thanks to a collaboration between Chichester District Council and The National Trust.
The free shows – each lasting approximately 20 minutes – will kick off the February half term holiday, taking place on Saturday 15 February at 5.30pm and 6.45pm. The beautiful Petworth House will be lit up accompanied by music that will be synchronised to the lights.
During the day a number of activities will take place in the build-up to the shows. Petworth House will be open for free from 10.30am until 3.30pm, while 12noon – 4.30pm there will also be free drop-in crafts in The Battery House where children will be able to get creative, inspired by the laser show. In addition, there will also be live music in The Courtyard from local musicians, with performances running 3.30pm – 5.15pm and 6pm – 6.30pm plus local vendors providing food and drink.

A Christmas Spectacular at Petworth House
2024-11-30 10:30 - 2025-01-05 16:00
30 NOVEMBER – 5 JANUARY 2025
10.30am – 4.00pm

Explore Petworth House to see showstopping trees, twinkling lights, beautifully adorned garlands and floral displays this Christmas. Discover eight of our historic showrooms dressed for Christmas with playful mice hiding among the displays, and taking centre stage. There will be photo opportunities, and a chance to add your wish onto a tree in the Chapel.

A Christmas Spectacular at Petworth House: is open 30 November 2024 – 5 January 2025, 10.30am – 4pm. Normal admission applies. Closed 24 & 25 December.

Choirs in the Courtyard: There will be choirs singing festive songs in the courtyard on weekends from Saturday 30th November – Sunday 15th December at 11.30am and 2.30pm.

Christmas Lates: On Saturday 30th November, 7th December and Friday 20th December the House will be open until 6pm, with a choir performing at 5pm.

Step into a festive wonderland set in the grand state rooms of Petworth House. Marvel at beautifully decorated trees and garlands, but be sure to look closely as there are some mischievous mice who have come to play.

Christmas Makers Market at Petworth
2024-11-30 10:00 - 2024-12-01 18:30
30 NOVEMBER – 1 DECEMBER 2024
Sat 30 Nov 10am – 6.30pm Sun 1 Dec 10am-4pm

On Saturday 30th November and Sunday 1st December there will be a Christmas Makers Market in the Battery House and Exhibition Room selling festive gifts, run in partnership with Petworth Pop-up.
Find your Christmas presents and a treat for yourself at this festive Makers Market, which features high-quality artisan gifts. You’ll find a range of beautiful handmade products including jewellery, homewares, textiles and art. This event is held in partnership with Petworth Pop Up: Makers Market.

The Petworth Proms
2024-10-18 19:30 - 2024-10-20 21:30
18 – 20 OCTOBER 2024
7.30pm – 9.30pm

The National Trust and Petworth Festival present a magical musical evening – a sequence of mini-concerts over one evening in four of the majestic state rooms of Petworth House.

Over the course of the evening you will be entertained in sequence by the harpist Bonnie Scott, the voice and guitar of The Juno Duo, pianist Milde Daunoraite and The Marylebone Saxophone Trio – all brilliant final year students at the Royal Academy of Music. Your journey will follow a route that takes in The Grand Staircase, The Carved Room, the North Gallery and Chapel. After the second mini-concert ‘interval’ drinks will be available either in The Marble Hall and North Gallery.

The remarkable talents on show will be

Chapel – The Juno Duo (voice and guitar)
Carved Room – Bonnie Scott (harp)
Grand Staircase – Milde Daunoraite (piano)
North Gallery – The Marylebone Saxophone Trio

Event description: on arrival at the Audit Room (drinks served from 6.45pm), audiences will be invited to join one of four groups which will then proceed at 7.25pm to the first of a series of simultaneous concerts, each of which lasts 20 minutes. Following the first concert, you will promenade to the second venue in groups for the second performance followed by a 20-minute interval and the third and fourth mini-concerts. The event will finish at approximately 9.30pm.

Please note, the same programme will be performed on each of the three evenings.

Arrival is via the Church Lodge entrance in Petworth town only for this event.

Petworth Spring Family Trail at Petworth NT
2024-03-23 10:00 - 2024-04-14 17:00
23 MARCH – 14 APRIL 2024
10.00am – 5.00pm
Discover games and activities for all ages this Spring at Petworth. You can explore the buggy friendly paths to discover six sculptures inspired by nature. Pick up your free booklet and map from reception on arrival.
Free event, normal admission to Petworth applies.
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/sussex/petworth/events

Petworth Spring Festival at Petworth NT
2024-03-23 10:00 - 2024-04-14 17:00
23 MARCH – 14 APRIL 2024
10.00am – 5.00pm
Our Spring Festival will run from Saturday 23 March to 14 April and will include talks, demonstrations, a community art installation, art and craft workshops, and family activities.
The garden team have been busy planting 4000 additional bulbs across the garden and 90 new containers to create an enhanced display that will carpet the gardens with a sea of daffodils.
On Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 March there will be a two-day Makers Market, held in partnership with Petworth Pop-Up.
A highlight of the festival will be a series of talks and demonstration from 23 – 29 March held at the Garden theatre in the Glade. Join experts and specialists including author Robyn Booth, and Curator of Munstead Wood, Caroline Ikin share tips on Spring gardening, and discuss the ‘artist-gardener’ Gertrude Jekyll. Free talks, no booking required.
Throughout the festival from 23 March – 14 April families can pick up a free trail to explore the Pleasure Garden and discover 6 nature-inspired willow sculptures while enjoying fun games and activities along the way.
From 3-10 April families can enjoy the Easter holidays with Spring themed crafts in the Battery House studio. Drop in anytime from 10.30-3.30. £3 per child.
Our local community and volunteers have been busy hand crafting daffodils to create a spectacular display in the Battery House which can be viewed 23 & 24 March, and 30 March – 14 April.
Free event, normal admission to Petworth applies.
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/sussex/petworth/events

Christmas Makers Market at Petworth House
2023-12-02 10:30 - 2023-12-03 15:30
2 – 3 DECEMBER 2023
10.30 – 3.30pm
Find your Christmas presents and a treat for yourself at this festive makers market that features high quality artisan gifts. You’ll find a range of beautiful handmade products including jewellery, homewares, textiles and art. This event is held in partnership with Petworth Pop Up Shop. To find out more visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/petworth

Colours of Christmas at Petworth House
2023-11-25 10:30 - 2024-01-01 15:30
25 NOVEMBER – 1 JANUARY 2023
10.30am – 3.30pm
Celebrate Christmas with a colourful and tree-mendous display at Petworth House. The house will be dressed for the festivities with stunning trees and floral displays, inspired by the colours within its extraordinary art collection. There will be choirs singing in the courtyard every weekend, a Christmas Makers Market, creative workshops and late openings. Normal admission applies, no booking required. To find out more visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/petworth

Five Colourful Histories - 1 hour talk at Petworth House
2023-07-01 14:00 - 15:00
1 JULY 2023
2.00pm – 3.00pm
Join Kassia St Clair, author of The Secret Lives of Colour, a top-ten bestseller and Radio 4 Book of the Week, for a one hour talk exploring the histories of five pigments, dyes and hues. Learn about the green that could have killed Charles Dickens before he wrote ‘A Tale of Two Cities’; the mollusks that gave us royal purple; and the costly blue that entranced artists of the Renaissance.
£15pp

Beginners Natural Dye Workshop at Petworth House
2023-06-22 10:30 - 16:30
22 June 2023
10.30am – 4.30pm
Explore the breadth and variation of colour that can be extracted from plants using the traditional techniques to dye fabric samples in a one day workshop for beginners and those of limited experience.
Join local artist Amanda Duke where you will be dyeing a range of small samples of cotton, silk and wool fabric and will learn how to modify to extend the colour range and shades. You will be working in a group to create dye baths and creating personal reference notes.
All the necessary dye stuffs and fabrics will be supplies, as will course notes. As an optional extra, you may wish to dye a silk scarf for yourself and blanks will be available to purchase on the day.
Being held on 22 June 2023 from 10.30am until 4.30pm.
Booking is essential and the ticket includes tea and coffee throughout the day. Priced at £90.00 per person
For further details, see our website – https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/sussex/petworth

Elmer's Art Parade at Petworth Park
2023-05-27 10:00 - 2023-09-03 17:00
27 MAY – 3 SEPTEMBER 2023
10.00am – 5.00pm
Join beloved children’s character Elmer the Patchwork Elephant on a colourful art parade around the Pleasure Garden at Petworth.
Explore the gardens and discover ten individually designed Elmer sculptures, inspired by the work of well-known artists from across the world, including Yayoi Kusama, William Morris and JMW Turner, along with the original patchwork Elmer by David McKee. Collect your free map at reception and follow the winding paths around the garden to search for Elmer on this creative and colourful sculpture trail. Elmer’s Art Parade at Petworth will run from Saturday 27 May to Sunday 3 September 2023.
Booking is not needed and the event is free, although normal entry fees apply.

Easter egg hunt at Petworth House and Park
2023-04-01 10:00 - 2023-04-10 17:00
1 – 10 APRIL 2023
10.00am to 5.00pm
This spring, treat the whole family to a world of adventure at Petworth on our Easter trail.
Make your way along the trail and find activities from puzzles, to games and crafts for the whole family. The trail takes place between , from 10am to 5pm, with trails sold until 3.30pm, so come along and explore the beautiful Pleasure Gardens at Petworth. The price of the trail is £3 per child and includes a trail map, pencil and a chocolate egg at the end. You are welcome to explore Petworth and the Easter trail at your own pace, we expect the trail will take around 1 hr 30 minutes to complete. The trail will run from Saturday 1 April to Monday 10 April.
The event starts on Saturday 1 April 2023 and runs each day until Monday 10 April 2023.
Normal admission prices apply and full details are published on our website; https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/petworth-house or telephone 01734 220798

Chatty Cafe at Petworth House
2023-03-29 10:30 - 16:00
Wednesdays in Feb and March 2023
10.30am – 12.30pm & 2.00pm – 4.00pm

Come along to Chatty Cafe open to everyone throughout Feb and March 2023

Mother's Day craft workshop
2023-03-19 11:00 - 15:30
19 MARCH 2023
11.00am – 3.30pm

Join us for a free family friendly drop-in craft workshop to create spring bunting, peg people and paper flowers.

The craft workshop will sit alongside ‘Our Landscape’, a community art display inspired by the exhibition ‘Sussex Landscape: Chalk, Wood and Water’ (currently on show at Pallant House Gallery).
The craft workshop and ‘Our people’ exhibition will be in the Battery House Studio.
Normal admission applies.

Explorations in Paint at Petworth House
2023-03-06 10:30 - 2023-09-24 16:00
6 MARCH – 24 SEPTEMBER 2023
10.30am – 4.00pm
Explorations in Paint, a specially curated exhibition from the Royal Academy of Arts, features artworks not previously lent by the Royal Academy and new work never before exhibited by Rebecca Salter PRA.
The exhibition features artworks by Sir Frank Bowling, Gillian Ayres, Ian McKeever, Barbara Rae, Sean Scully, Tess Jaray, John Hoyland and Rebecca Salter, the current president of the Royal Academy.
Specially curated for the National Trust by Dr Lois Oliver and the Royal Academy Collections team. Explorations in Paint will be on show at Petworth House, 6 March – 24 September 2023.
Open each day from 10.30am until 4pm. No need to book and entry is free, although normal admission to the house and park applies.
For further information, contact
Petworth Property Office, telephone 01798 342207 or email: petworth@nationaltrust.org.uk
Visit our website at https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/petworth-house

Chatty Cafe at Petworth House
2022-11-30 10:30 - 16:00
Wednesdays in Oct and Nov 2022
10.30am – 12.30pm & 2.00pm – 4.00pm

Come along to Chatty Cafe open to everyone throughout Oct and Nov 2022

A Tree-mendous Christmas at Petworth House and Park
2022-11-26 10:30 - 2023-01-02 16:30
26 NOVEMBER 2022 – 2 JANUARY 2023 (closed 24 & 25 December)
House open 10.30am-4.30pm (last entry 4pm)
Magnificently decorated trees fill the mansion at Petworth this Christmas. Highlights include the Marble Hall, transformed into an enchanted winter forest scene with sparkling lights and woodland creatures – look out for deer crafted from winter greenery, and tiny mice. In the chapel, you can add a Christmas wish to a tree. Weekend choirs, late evening openings, and a Christmas market offer more moments to enjoy the sparkle.

Deer Rut Guided Walk
2022-10-03 10:30 - 2022-10-21 12:30
3rd, 5th, 7th, 10th, 12th, 14th, 17th, 19th and 21st October 2022.
10.30am – 12.30pm

Autumn is the time of year when the fallow deer rut in the park. You can join a two-hour guided walk to learn more about this species, what the rut is all about and observe seasonal behaviour, with the chance of watching rutting stags. We recommend bringing binoculars, and there will be an element of hiding and remaining silent. Walks are £5 per person and will run on 3rd, 5th, 7th, 10th, 12th, 14th, 17th, 19th and 21st October 2022.
Booking essential, please visit: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/…/85c49e…/pages/details

Image: ©National Trust Images/Chris Lacey

History in the Park Guided Walk
2022-09-09 10:30 - 2022-09-10 12:30
9 – 10 SEPTEMBER 2022
10.30am – 12.30pm

This two hour guided walk covers the historic areas of the Deer Park, and what they were used for in the past. The walk explores Coney Park and Little Park all the way to Outwood, lost gardens and commons as well as the emergence of the Brownian Deer Park. Free, £3 suggested donation. Booking essential please visit https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/petworth-house-and-park
Well behaved dogs on short leads welcome.

Watercolour Landscape Painting in the Park
2022-09-07 10:30 - 13:30
13 JULY / 13 AUGUST / 7 SEPTEMBER 2022
10.30am – 1.30pm
Be inspired to paint in the stunning surroundings of Petworth Park. Your expert tutor from Aspire Sussex will teach you how to prepare your paper, choose your brushes, compose a landscape, create a wash, select colours, and create elements such as shadows, highlights and texture to add depth to your work. £55 per person
