Things to do in West Sussex

Petworth House in West Sussex is one of the finest and most important country houses in England, a late seventeenth-century mansion in a great deer park whose collection of paintings, sculpture and decorative arts is of national importance and includes one of the finest groups of works by J M W Turner in the world. The National Trust manages the house and park, and the combination of the extraordinary art collection, the atmospheric house interiors and Capability Brown's park landscape makes Petworth one of the most rewarding country house visits in southern England. The house was rebuilt in its current form between 1688 and 1696 by the sixth Duke of Somerset, the west front's long facade of Caen and Petworth stone among the most distinguished seventeenth-century domestic elevations in the country. The interior was progressively enriched by successive owners, reaching its greatest elaboration under the third Earl of Egremont in the early nineteenth century, who transformed Petworth into one of the great artistic households of the Regency period and whose patronage of Turner produced the series of paintings depicting the park, the house and the interior rooms that are the crown of the collection. Turner stayed at Petworth repeatedly between 1809 and 1837 as the guest of Lord Egremont and the nineteen oil paintings and over one hundred sketches he made there constitute the most concentrated body of his work associated with any single place. The paintings range from the grand landscape compositions depicting the park at sunrise and sunset to the intimate interior views of rooms and figures, including the luminous sketches of the library and the great staircase, that are among the most free and personal works Turner produced. The deer park, landscaped by Capability Brown, is one of the finest of his surviving works and the view of the house across the lake is one of the defining images of the English landscape garden tradition.

Devil's Dyke is a dramatic dry valley on the South Downs escarpment north of Brighton, a great V-shaped combe carved by periglacial processes during the last Ice Age that provides the most spectacular single viewpoint on the South Downs and one of the finest viewpoints in the southeast of England. The open chalk grassland of the dyke slopes and the surrounding escarpment provides excellent walking on the South Downs Way and the views northward across the Weald and southward toward the coast are among the most extensive available from any point on the South Downs. The chalk grassland of the Devil's Dyke slopes is one of the finest remaining examples of traditional downland habitat in East Sussex, supporting the characteristic community of chalk-loving plants including common spotted orchid, cowslip, stemless thistle and various chalk grassland grasses, and the butterflies associated with this habitat including chalkhill blue, dark green fritillary and marbled white. The National Trust manages the site and the long-running programme of grazing management has restored much of the traditional grassland character that was damaged by the arable conversion of the mid-twentieth century. The Victorian entrepreneur who built the Grand Hotel above the dyke also installed a funicular railway and a cable car across the valley in the 1890s, evidence of the dyke's long history as a tourist destination for visitors from Brighton. The views and the walking remain the principal attractions today, the funicular and cable car having long since disappeared.

Arundel Castle in West Sussex is one of the most imposing and most completely realised medieval castle complexes in England, a seat of the Dukes of Norfolk and their Howard ancestors that dominates the town of Arundel and the Arun Valley in a composition of towers and battlements restored and augmented in the Victorian period to create one of the most romantically appealing castle silhouettes in the south of England. The castle is among the few remaining in England still occupied by the same family as in the medieval period, the Howards having held the castle and the hereditary office of Earl Marshal of England for over 400 years. The castle has medieval origins in the Norman conquest, when Roger de Montgomery built the original motte and bailey castle shortly after 1066. The subsequent development over several centuries produced the combination of keep, gatehouse, walls and residential buildings that form the core of the current complex, substantially augmented and restored by the fifteenth Duke of Norfolk in the late nineteenth century in one of the most ambitious Victorian Gothic restoration projects in the country. The result is a castle that appears more completely medieval than the original fabric alone would justify but that achieves a visual coherence and dramatic quality that makes it one of the most impressive castle experiences in England. The interior of the castle contains a remarkable collection of paintings, furniture and heraldic objects reflecting the long history of the Norfolk family, and the grounds include a Victorian walled garden and a glasshouse of considerable horticultural interest.

Cowdray Ruins stand as one of the most evocative and atmospheric Tudor ruins in England, located just on the eastern edge of the market town of Midhurst in West Sussex. The remains belong to Cowdray House, a magnificent Tudor mansion that was gutted by fire in 1793, leaving behind a haunting skeleton of walls, towers, and archways that have captivated visitors, artists, and historians ever since. The ruins are Grade I listed and Scheduled Ancient Monument, placing them among the most protected and significant heritage sites in the country. What makes Cowdray particularly remarkable is not just its architectural grandeur but the extraordinary sense of melancholy and romance it projects — a palace-sized residence frozen at the moment of its destruction, with enough detail remaining to allow the imagination to reconstruct the splendour that once existed here. The history of Cowdray stretches back to the early sixteenth century. The original house was begun around 1492 by Sir David Owen, an illegitimate son of Owen Tudor, and was substantially developed and enlarged by Sir William FitzWilliam, who served as Lord High Admiral and close confidant of Henry VIII. The king himself visited Cowdray on progress in 1538, and the house was considered one of the finest examples of Tudor domestic architecture in England at that time. Ownership later passed to Sir Anthony Browne, another favourite of Henry VIII, who received the estate as a reward for his loyal service. It was this transfer that gave rise to one of England's most famous and chilling curses. According to legend, a monk dispossessed from Battle Abbey — which Browne also received at the Dissolution of the Monasteries — pronounced a terrible curse upon the family, declaring that the line of Browne would end by fire and water. The prophecy appeared to be fulfilled with startling precision: just a week after the great fire destroyed Cowdray House in September 1793, the eighth Viscount Montague, the last male heir, drowned attempting to shoot the Rhine Falls at Schaffhausen in Switzerland. The Browne viscounts, who had become the Viscounts Montague, were indeed extinguished in both senses of the word. The fire of 1793 broke out while the Viscount was away travelling, and by the time it was brought under control the interior had been entirely destroyed. What survived was the outer shell: a pale, honey-coloured sandstone structure of considerable mass, including a massive gatehouse, the great hall range, the buck hall, a substantial tower known as the Queen's Tower, a chapel, and a series of connecting ranges and staircases. Despite the destruction, the ruins retain their imposing scale, and in places the stonework is detailed enough that carved shields, mouldings, window tracery, and heraldic ornament can still be identified. The atmosphere on a visit is deeply affecting — the open sky above where ceilings once existed, the way light passes through empty window openings, and the soft sound of wind moving through the roofless chambers all contribute to a quality that has little equivalent elsewhere in southern England. The surrounding landscape enhances the drama considerably. Cowdray Ruins sit within the grounds of Cowdray Park, a large private estate that extends across much of the countryside around Midhurst. The park is famous throughout England and internationally as one of the premier polo venues in the world, hosting the Gold Cup — the most prestigious polo tournament in the UK — each summer, and the sight of the ancient ruins overlooking immaculately maintained polo grounds creates a striking juxtaposition of medieval decay and sporting elegance. The River Rother flows nearby, and the wider landscape of the South Downs National Park surrounds the area, offering wonderful walking country with chalk downland ridges, ancient hedgerows, and broad views. Midhurst itself is a charming small town of considerable character, with a good range of independent shops, cafés, and pubs, and it makes an excellent base for exploring this corner of West Sussex. The ruins are managed by the Cowdray Heritage Trust, which has undertaken significant conservation work in recent years to stabilise the structure and make it accessible to visitors. The site is open to the public on a seasonal basis, typically from spring through to autumn, and guided tours are available that bring the history to vivid life. Entry is charged, though the fee is modest and contributes directly to conservation. The ruins are reached easily on foot from Midhurst town centre — a pleasant short walk across a historic bridge over the Rother — and there is parking available nearby. For those arriving by public transport, Midhurst has bus connections to Haslemere, Petersfield, and Chichester, though the town does not have a railway station. The best time to visit is on a clear day in the shoulder seasons — late spring or early autumn — when the low-angled light picks out the texture of the stonework beautifully and the site is less crowded than in midsummer. Among the fascinating hidden details of Cowdray is the preservation of the original Tudor kitchen, which remains one of the better-understood parts of the ruin and gives a real sense of the domestic scale of the operation required to feed a household of Tudor nobility. Archaeological investigations have also revealed considerable evidence of the elaborate gardens and water features that once surrounded the house. The ruins featured in paintings by Turner and other artists of the Romantic era, who were drawn precisely by the combination of grandeur and decay that the site offers. The curse story, whatever one makes of it, has never lost its grip on popular imagination and is frequently cited as one of England's most compelling examples of a prophecy apparently fulfilled — making Cowdray not merely a ruin but a story, one that continues to accumulate meaning with every passing century.

Arundel Castle is located four miles north of Littlehampton in West Sussex, England. The castle is now the home of the Duke of Norfolk and his family. It is a Grade I listed building. Most of the castle and 40 acres of grounds and gardens are open to the general public, except for the private apartments within the quadrangle. The castle interior features paintings, period furniture, tapestries and stained glass, sculpture and carving, heraldry and armour. The castle has a shop and restaurant. Arundel Castle is built on a hill and there are some steep stairs and narrow passages. About two thirds of the Castle interior is accessible to wheelchairs, subject to some width limits Arundel Castle was built in 1068 during the reign of William the Conqueror as a fortification for the River Arun. The castle was built by Roger de Montgomery, the first earl of Arundel, as a motte and bailey castle. After the death of Roger de Montgomery, the castle reverted to the crown under Henry I. The King left Arundel Castle to his second wife Adeliza of Louvain. In 1138 she married William d'Aubigny. In 1176, William d'Aubigny died and Arundel Castle then reverted to the crown, under Henry II. When Henry died, the castle remained in the possession of Richard I ("the Lionheart"), who returned it to the Aubigny family under William III comte de Sussex. The castle passed to the FitzAlan of Clun family through marriage, and remained with the FitzAlan family until 1555. The FitzAlan line ceased when Mary FitzAlan, daughter of the nineteenth earl, married Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk. During the Civil War (1642-45), the Castle was badly damaged when it was attacked twice - firstly by Royalists who took control, and then by Cromwell's Parliamentarian forces who destroyed its fortifications. Charles Howard, 11th Duke of Norfolk carried out considerable restoration work and improvements in the late 18th century. Henry Charles Howard, 13th Duke of Norfolk refurbished the castle prior to the visit by Queen Victoria in 1846. The suite of rooms in which Victoria stayed as they were and are now called the "Victoria Rooms". The castle is still owned by the Howard family. The Arts Arundel Castle was used in a number of movies and TV shows: the Doctor Who episode Silver Nemesis (1988); The Madness of King George (1994); Victoria & Albert (2001 TV serial); The Young Victoria (2008); MacGyver TV movie Trails to Doomsday.

Chichester Cathedral is the only medieval cathedral in England visible from the sea, its elegant spire rising from the West Sussex coastal plain and serving as a navigation mark for vessels entering Chichester Harbour from the English Channel across a tradition extending over eight centuries. The cathedral was founded in the late eleventh century by Bishop Ralph Luffa, who began the current Norman building around 1091, and the subsequent development of the building through Gothic and later phases has produced a cathedral of considerable architectural variety that is distinguished within the English cathedral tradition by its exceptional collection of modern art. The modern art collection at Chichester is one of the finest in any English cathedral. Works by Graham Sutherland, John Piper and Marc Chagall were commissioned or acquired in the second half of the twentieth century in a deliberate programme of placing contemporary creativity in dialogue with the medieval fabric. The Chagall window in the Trinity Chapel, depicting Psalm 150 in a blaze of jewel-like colour, is one of the finest examples of the artist's stained glass outside France. The Sutherland painting Noli Me Tangere occupies a side chapel with quiet authority, a major work by one of Britain's most significant twentieth-century painters given a setting entirely appropriate to its subject. The Norman origins of the cathedral are most visible in the nave, where the round arches and massive piers of the twelfth century establish the fundamental architectural character of the building. Two unique Romanesque stone reliefs set into the south aisle wall, depicting the Raising of Lazarus and Christ's arrival at Bethany, are among the finest pieces of Norman figure sculpture in England and rank as important works of art in the wider European tradition of Romanesque carving. The detached bell tower, the only surviving detached medieval cathedral campanile in England, stands in the close to the northwest of the cathedral and adds a further architectural note to a close of considerable historic charm. The nearby Pallant House Gallery with its outstanding collection of twentieth-century British art makes Chichester one of the most rewarding destinations in the south of England for those interested in art across the centuries.

Bramber Castle, a Norman motte and bailey castle, is located in the village of Bramber, West Sussex about 12 miles north-west of Brighton. The castle is a ruin, and little remains apart from the wall of a tall gatehouse which was converted into a keep, and parts of the curtain wall in the north and east sides. There are also foundations of other buildings which may have been living quarters and a guardhouse. To the north of the gatehouse is the original castle motte rising to about 10m. The grassy areas in the bailey are well maintained. The moat is dry and can be used as a path to walk round the site. The site is owned by English Heritage and is open to the public. The castle was built by William De Braose around 1070 (not long after the battle of Hastings) to guard the port on the river Adur. It was a motte and bailey structure built on a natural mound, with a moat surrounding the whole castle. The castle was held by the De Braose family until 1324 (apart from a period when it was captured during reign of King John) . During the Civil War the castle was attacked and damaged in 1642 by Parliamentary forces, who attacked it with guns placed in the nearby church.

Amberley Castle is in the village of Amberley, West Sussex. The castle was built as a 12th century manor house. It was converted to a fortress for the bishops of Chichester in 1377 with addition of high curtain walls, towers and gatehouse. The castle is still completely enclosed by a high curtain wall, and accessed via a twin-tower gatehouse with portcullis to the south. At midnight each night, the two tonne oak Portcullis is lowered for the night. Amberley Castle has been converted to a luxury hotel, and has 19 luxurious hotel bedrooms and suites, many with four-poster beds and all featuring Jacuzzi bathrooms. Hotel facilities include two restaurants, lounge areas, tennis court, croquet lawn, gardens and lakes, 18-hole putting course and a thatched-roof tree house complete with rope bridge. Inside the walls, the castle has beautiful landscaped gardens. In 1140, Bishop Seffrid I built the first stone hall at Amberley. Seffrid II added the east wing about 1200. The Great Hall was added between 1305-1337 by Bishop John of Langton. In 1588, Amberley was leased to the Crown in the reign of Elizabeth I. James Butler bought Amberley in 1648 from commissioners of sequestered estates. The estate was acquired by the Bishopric again in 160 and leased to the Butlers. The Duke of Norfolk purchased Amberley Castle in 1893 bringing an end to church ownership. Princess Elizabeth visited the castle in 1945. The castle had a number of owners in the 20th century and was bought by the von Essen luxury hotel group in 2007.