Petworth House

Petworth House was rebuilt from 1688 by the 6th Duke of Somerset around the medieval home of the Percy family, whose 13th-century chapel survives inside, and passed to the National Trust in 1947 with one of the finest art collections in its care. The 3rd Earl of Egremont gave J.M.W. Turner a studio here in the early 1800s, and his paintings hang alongside Van Dyck, Gainsborough and Reynolds, Grinling Gibbons's limewood carvings in the Carved Room, and Louis Laguerre's murals on the Grand Staircase. The 700-acre park was reshaped by Capability Brown in the 1750s and is grazed by fallow deer, free to walk and dog-friendly, with the Upper Pond that Turner painted. Below stairs are the historic kitchens and servants' quarters, and reviewers recommend the tunnels and ice house tour, the 45-minute introductory house tour and the room guides. Tips from visitors: the main car park on the A283 is a steep 700-yard walk from the house, with a buggy available, and the North car park suits park walks.