More information : [SU 9759 2190] Petworth House [G.T.]. (1)
Petworth House is 17th century on the site of and incorporating remains of the 13th century house. (2)
Petworth House, the residence of Lord Leconfield, conveyed to the National Trust in 1947. An outstanding country mansion in excellent condition and so described in the National Trust Handbook. (See Sussex pamphlet file)
The deer park, enclosed by 14 miles of L 17th c and later stone wall, is an enlargement of an earlier park, the boundary of which is shown on an estate map of 1610 at Petworth House, (see OS 6") but of which no pale remains. (3)
Petworth House, Grade I. This is the most important residence in the County of Sussex. The first building here was erected by the first Baron Percy, who was granted a licence to crenellate in 1309. Of this first building the main structure of the Chapel at the north end of the present house survives. The Wine Cellar beneath what was once the Great Hall probably dates from the C.14. The eighth Earl of Northumberland rebuilt or enlarged the house between 1576 and 1582, and the ninth or "Wisard" Earl of Northumberland again did so after 1621. A block of this last date survives towards the north end of the house, and also the long Beer Cellar in the basement which runs almost the whole length of the house. The main body of the house was erected by the sixth (or "Proud") Duke of Somerset between 1688 and 1696. The architect was a Fronchman, and it has been suggested that it was Pierre Puget. Christopher Hussey does not consider this to be the case and has suggested Daniel Marot. The back part of the house was never finished, and the whole of the east front north of the porch has never had any symmetrical arrangement of windows, etc. and shows some of the older work of this house.
The centre of the main front originally had a rising roof or dome and statues. A fire occured in 1714, and Christopher Hussey has suggested that these were destroyed in that fire, but Dallaway's History of West Sussex states that they were removed by the third Earl of Egremont. Sir John Soane made plans for refacing the main front of the house with stucco but these were never carried out. About 1780 the third Earl of Egremont converted in arcaded loggia on the north side of the house into a room with a glass roof now called the North Gallery, to contain part of his famous collection of pictures and statuary. Between 1869 and 1872 Anthony Salvin remodelled the rooms at the south end of the house as the private apartments of the family and added the porch on the east side.
The house is 322 feet long. The main or west front has 3 s. and 21 w. It is built of local freestone ashlar with Portland stone for the ornamental sections. Above the first floor is a heavy moulded cornice. Another cornice above second floor and solid parapet with panels of balustrading. Mansarded slate roof. The 3 centre w. bays and the 3 w. bays each end project and have cornices over the ground floor ws. surmounted by busts and elaborate volutes above the first floor ws. supporting the cornice. The 3 centre w. bays are flanked by rusticated pilasters with ornamental panels above the first floor ws. and imitation balustrading below them, also projecting cornices over the ground floor ws. with consoles. All the ws. in the front are sash ws. with coved reveals, keystones over and gl. bars intact. In front of the House is a terrace approached by 3 steps with, at each end, a short wall ending in a pier surmounted by an urn. From this branches out a cast iron railing which separates the garden from the park and double gate with cresting. The south side has 3 s. and basement above ground level. 6 w., those in the basement having segmental heads. The 2 centre w. bays break forward slightly.
The north front is flanked by rusticated pilasters with a complicated design of lines and niches in them. Beyond it projects on the ground floor only the North gallery. This has 5 roundheaded ws. (now boarded up), each flanked by rusticated pilasters.
The south end of the east front, up as far as Salvin's porch, has been refaced in the same manner as the other fronts. This has 3 w. and then a projection of 3 w. bays with rusticated quoins. 3 s. and basement above ground level. North of this the porch projects at right angles and joins the house to the Estate Office. In the centre of it is a carriage arch through it
forming a porte cochere flanked by twin free-standing rusticated cols. on high plinths. On each side of the arch is a solid portion containing 1 w. and a niche flanked by rusticated pilasters. Cornice and blocking course over the whole. The cast face to the north of the porch is plain and undecorated, with ws. irregularly placed. Stone rubble and cement, It has 5 buttresses and at the north end a projection containing the high poined w. of the Chapel in a wide reveal and a large segmental-headed w. over this. The interior includes the Carved Room containing probably the finest work that Grinling Gibbons ever executed in a private house; carving by John Seldon in the Chapel and elsewhere; and the Grand Staircase painted by Louis Larguerre in 1715-1720 after the fire.
Many famous people have been entertained at the house; Edward VI in 1551; the Archduke Charles of Austria, afterwards the Emperor Charles VI on 28th December 1703; the Prince Regent, the Tsar Alexander I and Frederick William III of Prussia on the 24th June 1814; and Edward VII on many occasions. Articles in Country Life on 12th, 19th and 26th December 1925 and 7th March 1947. Photographs in the National Buildings Record. (4,5)
Listed. (6)
Henry de Percy was granted licence to crenellate Petworth in 1309. (7) |