Petworth

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Petworth


Lombard Street looking towards St Mary's church.

Petworth (West Sussex)
Petworth

Petworth shown within West Sussex
Population 2,775 (2001)
OS grid reference SU976216
District Chichester
Shire county West Sussex
Region South East
Constituent country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town PETWORTH
Postcode district GU28
Dialling code 01798
Police Sussex
Fire West Sussex
Ambulance South East Coast
European Parliament South East England
UK Parliament Chichester
List of places: UKEnglandWest Sussex

Coordinates: 50°59′11″N 0°36′36″W / 50.98638, -0.60996

Petworth is a small town and civil parish in the Chichester District of West Sussex, England. It is located at the junction of the A272 east-west road from Heathfield to Winchester and the A283 Milford to Shoreham-by-Sea road. Some 12 miles (21km) to the south west of Petworth along the A285 road lies Chichester and the south-coast. The parish includes the settlements of Byworth and Hampers Green and covers an area of 2689.9 hectares (6644 acres). In 2001 the population of the parish was 2775 persons living in 1200 households of whom 1326 were economically active.

The town is mentioned in Domesday Book. It is best known as the location of the stately home Petworth House, the grounds of which (known as Petworth Park) are the work of Capability Brown. The House and its grounds are now owned and maintained by the National Trust.

Another historic attraction in the town, Petworth Cottage Museum in the High Street, is a museum of domestic life for poor estate workers in the town in about 1910. At that time the cottage was the home of Mrs. Cummings, a seamstress, whose drunken husband had been a farrier in the Royal Irish Hussars and on the Petworth estate.

The railway line between Pulborough and Midhurst once had a station at Petworth, but the line was closed to passenger use in 1955, and finally to freight in 1966, though the station building survives as a bed and breakfast establishment.

The town's amateur dramatics group is known as the Petworth Players, and their past productions have included 'Allo 'Allo, The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe, and The Sleeping Beauty.

[edit] Twin Towns

Petworth is twinned with:

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