petworth house

A couple of Saturdays ago we drove down to Hampshire to see my parents. We stopped off in Winchester for lunch and a quick wander around the meadows, markets and cathedral (we just managed to catch a choir rehearsing).

On the Sunday we woke early and headed off to Petworth in West Sussex, after dropping by the completely charming Horse Guards Inn in Tillington for lunch - potted crab, polenta and a ginger pudding. A good, lengthy lunch invariably has to come before any house visits, garden strolls or shopping in our household, and quite rightly so. We'd come to visit Petworth House, a 17th-century mansion which stands in a landscaped park designed by Capability Brown.

The building houses an important collection of paintings and sculptures, including nineteen oil paintings by J. M. W. Turner (some owned by the family, some by Tate Britain), who was a regular visitor to Petworth, and paintings by Van Dyck.

Spring sunshine was streaming in through countless windows; it was a glorious day.

The Deer in Petworth Park by J. M. W. Turner.