A weekender in Petworth: a quintessential English market town

Experience a proper English country escape with a trip to Petworth in the South Downs National Park. Just a short journey from London, Petworth is a perfect escape from the hurly burly of city life.

It also happens to be one of Britain’s most picturesque market towns with a tempting array of year-round events, a wealth of independent shops and lovely walks in the surrounding countryside.

This hidden gem is perfect for a change of pace if you fancy a quick getaway. Here’s where to stay and what to do:

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Where to stay

If you’re keen to be at the heart of things, The Angel Inn is just a short walk from the centre of town.

The inn, which has medieval origins, still has an original bar featuring ship beams, slate floors and stone walls. Its three fireplaces make it wonderfully welcoming.

Pub accommodation tends to be functional at best, but the Angel Inn is also an unexpectedly stylish place to stay.

Our room, which overlooked the pub courtyard below, featured a glamorous orange velvet sofa with grey piping and a huge chandelier above the bed. The room came with a welcome pack offering information on what to do in the area and a thoughtful gift of local strawberries – among the tastiest this reviewer has ever had. Our delightful host Marc, the hotel’s manager, put the deliciousness of the fruit down to the unusual weather this year, with its blazingly hot sunshine, as well as the expert sourcing by local food emporium The Hungry Guest, which was behind the gift.

Food at the Angel Inn is uniformly excellent. The dinner we had on our arrival featured crispy salt and pepper squid, superb burgers and local cheeses to finish off.

Breakfast the following morning was just as delicious. When we asked for advice on what to do with our day, our waitress assured us that we would know and be known by the town after our first lap of the high street. She told us there wasn’t an awful lot to do in Petworth but when we headed out we found precisely the opposite.

This isn’t to say Petworth is a big town. It isn’t. But for a place of its size there’s plenty to see, eat, drink and buy. A foray into the antiques market was an unexpected success. Our plan was to simply browse but we emerged with a life-sized flamingo. He now sits in our living room back home, our very own Petworth pet.

What to do

Every year, the grounds of Petworth House are given over to open air summer concerts for Petworth’s International Fair. This offers everything from exhibitions by local and international artists, to concerts starring performers from around the world. This year saw the young Chinese pianist Ji Liu grace the stage as well as a production by the acclaimed Flying Bridge Theatre.

If you plan to go in winter, make sure you coincide with the Petworth Fair, one of the oldest fairs in the south of England, which takes place in the town’s main square. The courtyard is filled with fairground attractions and musical performances – a winter celebration not to be missed.

Petworth is also an ideal base if you’re attending the racing at Goodwood, Goodwood Revival or the Festival of Speed. The town is also a short hop from Bognor Regis and less than an hour from Brighton.

Another top attraction is a tour of Petworth’s Secret Gardens, which gives visitors the chance to discover 15 beautiful private gardens in and around the town.

Where to shop

Petworth has a strong reputation for antiques so there’s no shortage of places to look for furnishings, trinkets, watches, paintings and so on. There are around 30 or so antique dealers in Petworth and you’re sure to stumble upon one of their shops when exploring the town.

For variety and quality though, Augustus Brandt is the pick of the bunch. It has 17 rooms to explore – from antique and contemporary furniture, artwork, and photography to designer furnishings, including Linley and William Yeoward.

Where to eat

For a top-quality meal featuring local ingredients, head for the recently opened New Street Bar & Grill, right in the heart of Petworth.

New Street's focus is on “great ingredients cooked simply to a high standard,” the chef says, with grilled dishes, locally sourced meat and game, and seafood.

Our meal began with translucent strips of tuna carpaccio with ponzu sauce, which were light and fresh; and a baked camembert for two (though in truth, it was scoffed somewhat greedily by one... me to be precise).

For mains, the cote de boeuf for two arrived on a raised platter hovering imposingly over the table. The meat, sourced from Goodwood, was spectacularly tasty, and both girded and marbled with precisely the right amount of fat.

From the seafood grill, the Brixham plaice is hard to beat, while the clam linguine with cherry tomatoes and chilli is also well executed. Special mention too for the triple-cooked chips, which were polished off within minutes of arriving at the table.

A bottle of Antinori Estate’s La Braccesca from Montepulciano proved a wonderful accompaniment. New Street’s wine list features some stellar additions from around Europe at reasonable prices, many of which are available by the glass.

Speaking of wine, Petworth is also an oenophile’s delight. The Nutbourne and Nyetimber vineyards are just a few miles away, offering visitors a chance to explore award-winning English wines in the place where they’re grown.

As we returned from dinner, we reflected on what a rare beast Petworth is: a small town not too far from the capital with an identity all of its own that offers great food, excellent shopping and a genuine welcome. A perfect weekend getaway.

Book at the Angel Inn from £100 twin share including breakfast at angelinnpetworth.co.uk. For reservations at New Street Bar and Grill, go to newstreetbarandgrill.co.uk.

For more information, visit discoverpetworth.uk