Petworth: why the West Sussex town continuously wins awards

While the cottages on its historic, rutted streets are clad with wisteria, the town of Petworth is draped in so many superlatives – including ‘quaint’, ‘classy’, ‘majestic’, and ‘cute-n-cobbled’– that it’s fitting it has been named in everything from Condé Nast Traveller’s 25 Best Places to Go globally to one of the Best Places to Live in the UK again.

The Sunday Times described the West Sussex market town as ‘the perfect place to unplug and reconnect with the real world’ in its prestigious 2026 list. It’s not the first time the historic town has topped a Sunday Times poll for its ‘natural beauty’, ‘caring community’ and ‘strong cultural scene’, having previously made the cut in both 2019 and 2021. Now Petworth has also been called ‘pretty as an old picture’ and as ‘decorative’ as the many vintage treasures its boutique stores sell in The Telegraph’s 2026 Britain’s Loveliest Towns for Buying Antiques list.

But none of this should be a surprise for a town bursting with historic buildings, award-winning eateries, and art galleries, along with the Grade I-listed Petworth House, and that is so popular The Telegraph wrote how we should all ‘ditch any plans for a seaside getaway’ back in 2023 and look instead to Petworth like the ‘hyper-rich Mayfair crowd’ do who decamp there most weekends. The place once referred to as a ‘sleepy village’ is now one of the most sought-after spots in the country, with the average house price rocketing to an eye-watering £722,763 last year, according to Rightmove.

But what do you get if you join the current 3,000 residents in this genteel rural enclave? As well as a location, there is also a wealth of award-winning eateries, a thriving artistic community and an abundance of those antiques centres The Telegraph loves that all draw on the town’s historic roots.

Mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, Petworth is small enough to explore on foot, yet with enough hidden turns that each reveals another reason to stay a little longer – it’s hard to ignore the quirky stores, art galleries and mouthwatering delis. With the local farmers’ market on the fourth Saturday of every month, it’s dangerously easy to head home with far more than you intended.

Petworth’s Georgian townhouses and winding cobbled streets are picturesque, and the planting more than lives up to the cinematic backdrop. RHS Britain in Bloom has presented Petworth with multiple Gold Awards including a national Gold Award in 2022 for ‘beautiful planting, cleanliness, and community gardening efforts’, and first place nationally in the Small Towns category.

For the less green-fingered amongst us, Petworth’s antiques provisions are not an anticlimax. The town is colloquially known as the ‘Antiques Centre of the South’. Happily, cultural delights extend past this with the 16th Petworth Literary Festival (October 28-November 8). Previous years have seen visits from David Suchet, Michael Palin and Dame Judi Dench.

Andrew Loukes, Curator of Collections and Exhibitions at Petworth House in West Sussex (Image: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire)

Intentionally designed to be ‘hidden’ from Petworth’s view, is Petworth House, which the National Trust calls the ‘English Versailles’. Popular as a filming location for productions including Ridley Scott’s epic Napoleon (2023) and Netflix’s racy period drama Bridgerton, the Baroque stately home was rebuilt in the 17th century by the 6th Duke of Somerset in the image of imposing European palaces. The great estate is currently arranged in the style of George Wyndham, 3rd Earl of Egremont, who inherited the house in 1763 at the grand old age of 12. Known as a collector and patron of the arts, the Earl played host to notable figures such as JMW Turner, who even had a studio on one of the upper floors.

The house showcases some of the most exquisite collections the National Trust has to offer. Naturally, 20 of Turner’s paintings, including two depicting Petworth, are on display, alongside numerous works by Constable, Van Dyck, Reynolds and Blake.

There’s an abundance of treasures; from ancient and neo-classical sculpture to carvings by Grinling Gibbons, fine furniture and the extensive ceramics cache of the 2nd and 3rd Earls of Egremont. Visit on Friday, September 25, for Petworth Late: In Conversation, an exclusive late-night opening featuring renowned ceramic artist Felicity Aylieff’s Expressions in Blue exhibition – which sees monumental towers and sculptures inside and outside the house – and historical author Kassia St Clair (£25, nationaltrust.org.uk)

Petworth’s Servants’ Quarters offer fantastically preserved Victorian-era kitchens and service rooms – home to a large copper batterie de cuisine – which served nearly 30,000 guests in 1829 alone.

Petworth House sits within a 700-acre deer park. Between October 28 and November 3, you can join the Deer Rut Guided Walk to discover more about the fallow deer’s mating season (£15, £7.50 per child, nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/sussex/petworth/events).

Designed by landscape architect Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown, the park’s rolling lawns, 1,000-year-old oaks and carefully composed vistas make it easy to understand Turner’s inspiration. The pleasure grounds, created in the 16th century are also worth visiting.

Food and drink

Petworth may trade on its cultured looks, but thankfully it also knows how to feed people properly. Surrounded as it is by farms, Petworth’s culinary scene is renowned for local produce and award-winning artisanal food. Set in a restored 17th-century heritage building, with oodles of stylish space, E. Street Bar & Grill (estreetbarandgrill.co.uk) lives up to this reputation, transforming local ingredients into dishes that feel elevated yet unforced.

Having previously been recognised in the Michelin Guide for serving ‘exceptional, unpretentious local food’, the restaurant prides itself on making the most of its surroundings, partnering with local businesses to provide sensational seasonal specials alongside their à la carte menu. These offerings aren’t just relegated to food, as Sussex is firmly situated as a prominent wine region in the UK, E. Street Bar & Grill also serves an outstanding selection of wines, such as the famous Nyetimber sparkling wine, to perfectly complement dishes.

A 2026 Good Food Award winner, E. Street Bar & Grill also holds one of the highest honours available in the Good Food Awards programme: the coveted Gold Seal, gained through consistent delivery of outstanding food and service over three or more consecutive years.

The menu clearly reflects this quality, with a carefully curated array of mouthwatering plates – most presented with recommended wine pairings – from hickory smoked trout rillette, sourdough toast and pickled Mereworth vegetables (£10.50) and spicy tempura soft shell crab with nam jim (£14) to venison haunch, root vegetable rosti, braised red cabbage, Mereworth greens and cranberry jus (£29.50) and mango and vanilla panna cotta with toasted desiccated coconut (£14) for those with a sweet tooth.

For lighter bites and refreshments, The Hungry Guest Café and Deli (thehungryguest.com) on Saddler’s Row is the obvious starting point. Part-bakery, part-café and part-deli, you can drop in for breakfast to kickstart your day, grab a slice of award-winning pecan pie to revive yourself after hours of antiques-browsing, turn a quick pit-stop into a leisurely lunch, or conduct a gourmet stock-up that your cupboards will certainly thank you for later.

Having been awarded a Certificate of Excellence by popular foodie website Restaurant Guru, the café is dedicated to treating people with a little sweetness; the menu is a seasonal one but if spotted, be sure to sink your teeth into their smoked salmon, smashed avocado, on toasted brioche (£10.95), The Reuben – pastrami, emmental, gherkins and mustard (£7.95), and of course you can’t go wrong with a classic bacon sandwich (£6.95).

Wandering slightly further afield, The Welldiggers Arms (butcombe.com/the-welldiggers-arms-west-sussex) is a newly refurbished traditional country pub that has just been named County Winner for West Sussex at the National Pub & Bar Awards 2026. Located just outside of Petworth in Low Heath, it’s well worth the short trip for anyone that likes their food with a side of countryside charm. Perfect for those planning a multi-day trip, the 14 boutique bedrooms on-site conveniently allow for the drive home to wait another day.

Local ciders, craft beer and cask ales take pride of place on their drink’s menu, while head chef, Hugh FitzGerald, Bronze Pub Chef of the Year 2026 winner, works in an open kitchen to provide an immersive dining experience for guests. The pub cares deeply about the quality, provenance and seasonality of their cosy dining experience, which invites you to feast on braised ox cheek, pressed potato, pickled shimeji and sorrel pesto (£11), then move on to Atlantic cod, smoked bacon XO sauce, miso mayonnaise, saffron bisque and squid ink crisp (£27.90), and for dessert burnt Leckford honey tart with honeycomb and clotted cream (£8.90).

The Angel Inn (angelinnpetworth.co.uk), another of Petworth’s County Winners for West Sussex in the National Pub & Bar Awards (2022), provides a ‘truly authentic West Sussex dining experience’: all historic character, polished hospitality and the sense that lunch could easily roll into drinks, then dinner… then maybe drinks again if nobody is paying attention. Named a Best English County Hotel, the medieval inn’s menu must-haves include: The Angel Inn arancini, caramelised onion & tomato chutney with Mereworth salad (£9.50), Hampshire ribeye steak, herb & bone marrow butter, green salad and triple-cooked chips (£32), and lemon meringue tart (£9).

If you are already exploring Petworth House, stop in on the Audit Room Café for lunch, tea or cake, and the family-run Cates Deli (@cates_deli) is packed full of picnic-perfect provisions if you want to take a hamper into the park.

Small shops along the cobbled Lombard Street in Petworth (Image: Getty)

Shopping

The kind of place to make even a ‘quick browse’ spiral into an internal debate on the necessity of taking an 18th-century side table home, Petworth is home to more than 30 antiques shops and a multitude of independent stores.

The best place to start on an antiquing quest is Petworth Antiques Market (petworthantiquesmarket.com) on East Street. A light and airy warehouse-style space, the market brings together small stands run by different dealers. A particularly good bet for collectables and playful finds to liven up your home – whether your loved ones agree with your taste or not – there’s plenty of variety, so you’re always sure to find something that charms. Mooching down to Market Square, you’ll stumble upon the expansive Augustus Brandt (augustusbrandt.co.uk), one of the town’s ‘heavyweight’ names. Known for expansive displays that blur the line between an antiques showroom and an interior designer’s fantasies, you’ll leave having rethought your entire house and likely outfitted it too.

Petworth’s artistic credentials extend far beyond the walls of Petworth House, which isn’t the only art gallery in town stuffed full of treasures.

On Pound Street, Newlands House Gallery (newlandshouse.gallery) is the go-to destination for modern and contemporary art, tucked away inside a Grade II-listed Georgian Town House. Exhibitions regularly explore the heritage of the local area, and the on-site shop invites tangible connections with art in the South Downs.

Kevis House Gallery (kevishouse.com) is a smaller, ever-changing space in Lombard Street featuring contemporary works from different artists, where you can pick up enchanting paintings, prints and drawings.

Directly opposite the gallery, Tallulah Fox (tallulahfox.co.uk) is a favourite for those seeking homewares: from cushions and ceramics to printed aprons and tea towels. Artful Teasing, an extension of Tallulah Fox, leans into heavenly fragrances, scented toiletries and skincare, whilst emporium Red Card’s (@redcardsussex) siren song is of speciality cards and beautiful stationery right on the high street. Add in Petworth Bookshop (@petworthbookshop), The Oakapple Trading Company (oakapple

trading.com), Maggie & Belle’s homewares (maggieandbelle.co.uk) and the handmade wonders of Makers Barn (makersbarn.co.uk) and you start to put together the picture of a town that is excellent at sending visitors home with laden arms.

Still, there are many worse fates than walking away from a day out in Petworth with a bottle of wine, a new book and a boot full of beautiful things.

Famous faces

Dame Maggie Smith – the multi-award-winning late actress who played Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter movies and Violet Crawley in Downton Abbey – lived in a 15th-century red-bricked house in Petworth and while she always wanted to keep her county life low key, she was often spotted shopping in Waitrose in nearby Storrington.

Her neighbours included Roxy Music singer Bryan Ferry as well as Olympic swimmer Duncan Goodhew.

Comedian Alex Horne, the creator of BAFTA award-winning Taskmaster, was born here but it’s JMW Turner –a frequent guest who painted some beautiful landscapes at Petworth House – that is the most famous name attached to the town..

(Image: Supplied)

Must see

Molyneux Globe, North Gallery, Petworth House

There’s no need to travel all around the globe when such a magnificent one is waiting to be discovered right on your doorstep. The Molyneux Globe is the oldest English terrestrial globe in existence, created by Emery Molyneaux in 1592 and engraved by Jodocus Hondius with ‘the newest, secretest, and latest discoveries’. The only surviving first edition, with another recorded as presented to Queen Elizabeth I, it is decorated with fantastical imagery of sea monsters and charts the journeys of famous explorers Sir Francis Drake and Thomas Cavendish as they attempted circumnavigation of the world.

Entry to Petworth House is £21, £10.50 per child, or a family ticket £52.50, free for National Trust members nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/sussex/petworth

Must do

Petworth Cottage Museum, 346 High Street

For a fascinating lesson in local history, make time to visit the Petworth Cottage Museum. Less conventional than your typical museum, the careful recreation of a 1910 home has been furnished and equipped to vividly evoke the experience of its original occupant, Mary Cummings, an Irish Catholic seamstress who worked in Petworth House. With a disarmingly intimate atmosphere, the home is deeply memorable, feeling as though Mary has simply stepped away for a moment, leaving the kettle on, range lit and table laid.

Tickets from £5, £1 child.

Tuesday-Saturday, until Saturday, October 31,

2pm-4.30pm, petworth

cottagemuseum.co.uk