HelpHound

Petworth is best know for its antique shops, there are something like 36 of them, and as Petworth is a small town the antique shops do dominate. However, the buildings are all very pretty and there are a few good quality clothes shops like Therapy, and other shops have an old fashioned feel; there is a butchers and a green grocers. Petworth House is beautiful and the surrounding grounds are well worth a look. In the past the house has hosted art installations by prominant artists such as Andy Goldsworthy, and Petworth Park hosts a big concert, which i think runs anually. On the whole very pretty with good parking, although the one way system does cut through it a bit.

I should start off perhaps by saying that I am probably not ideally suited to reviewing this town as I have never had a burning desire to stop there in all the times I have driven through! Sorry Petworth but I am just not drawn in by your antique shops and limited other attractions. Petworth House and Park is home to many open air concerts though. The town centre is a nightmare one way system which is sometimes at a total stop just because one car has parked outside the fish & chip shop! For me it is too isolated half way between Chichester and Guildford although I am sure that is the attraction for many of its inhabitants. There are plenty of pubs and restaurants and I am sure that if quaint English town is the place of your dreams then Petworth would be the ideal place for you. Sorry if I am missing out on all the positives of the town - locals please don''t take offence!!

This lovely historic town has a great selection of antique shops and is a perfect stopping point on a trip through the Sussex Downs. With pub food and coffee shops thealot for there is a good choice but not really anything for the kids. The local shops are delightfully stuck in time and retain a lot of traditional features. Well worth a visit though.