During our stay in Worthing West Sussex we took the bus to Petworth a charming small market town in the South Downs. It is so well-preserved with Elizabethan and Georgian houses some of which are tile hung in the traditional Sussex way. There are some interesting small shops which predominately sell antiques. What was most attractive were the flowers everywhere – tubs, planters, window boxes and climbers all providing an exuberance of colour.
The town is dominated by Petworth House a National Trust property. The house displays one of the finest art collections more than an art gallery. There are major works by Gainsborough, Reynolds,Turner, Van Dyck, Titian, Flaxman and many more. There are magnificent carvings, fine sculptures, a Leconsfield Chaucer book and the oldest terrestrial globe in existence. This baroque style ancestral house was the home of one family for over 900 years. The deer park was landscaped by “Capability” Brown. Of course, we had had to visit the restaurant while we were there for our treat of home-made scones and cakes!
Then it was back on the bus as it travelled through the scenic South Downs with its rolling pastures. A lovely way to spend a summers day!
