Welcome To The Petworth Society

Welcome to the Petworth Society and a wealth of heritage information about Petworth.

Rottingdean Heritage is a small charity with similar objectives to The Petworth Society. Please visit their website to find out about their current William Nicholson exhibition: Rottingdean Heritage
"Around the Hills" is now open! Please use this link to access a video and watch the work undertaken to open up this much loved footpath. With many thanks to the Golden family for allowing us to use the video.

Shimmings Valley
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Welcome To The Petworth Society

Welcome to the Petworth Society and a wealth of heritage information about Petworth.

Rottingdean Heritage is a small charity with similar objectives to The Petworth Society. Please visit their website to find out about their current William Nicholson exhibition Rottingdean Heritage

"Around the Hills" is now open! Please use this link to access a video and watch the work undertaken to open up this much loved footpath. With many thanks to the Golden family for allowing us to use the video.

Welcome To The Petworth Society

The Petworth Society is a charity that exists to help preserve and promote the heritage of this special town. Through our famous quarterly Magazine, talks and events we capture and convey the history of Petworth and its people. Based on research and personal histories, the Magazine brings the past to life. With the help of extensive archive photography, it reflects what has – and hasn’t – changed over time.

We hope you will enjoy the material on this website and, if not already a member, that you will consider joining. We look forward to meeting you at an event!

Book Sales

The Petworth Society will hold its last book sale for the foreseeable future in the Leconfield Hall on Saturday 10 September 2022. Please click on the button below to find out more.

Book Sales

Forthcoming Events

THE PETWORTH SOCIETY

magazine

Sent to members quarterly, the Magazine provides a collation of researched articles on the history of Petworth and the lives and livelihoods of its townsfolk.


Petworth Past

By kind permission of Miles Costello.

Petworth Past On Facebook

Spotlight

In addition to helping to preserve and promote the heritage of Petworth, the Society’s aims also include encouraging interest in the history of the district and fostering a community spirit. As well as organising its own events, including the Book Sales, the Society also supports other heritage sites and activities. Principal amongst these are: The Leconfield Hall; The Coultershaw Beam Pump; The Petworth Cottage Museum; The Petworth St Edmund’s Day Fair; and the national Heritage Open Day events, which encompass a number of sites in and around Petworth.

Book Sales

The Petworth Society has held regular book sales in the Leconfield Hall for over 20 years. Over time, we have gathered a large number of books from various sources and screened them to create a selection we think our visitors will find interesting. The best ‘finds’ go onto our famous ‘centre table’. We challenge you to visit and leave without acquiring something!

There is no charge for entry.

Sadly, the last book sale for the foreseeable future will take place on Saturday 10th September. It is with regret that we are currently not able to accept donations. We sincerely hope to find a group of volunteers who are willing to take over the sterling work undertaken by Miles Costello during the last 22+ years. To date, the proceeds from our book sales go towards supporting our quarterly Magazine and other activities.

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Talks & Events

Through the year we arrange events that we hope members and non-members alike will find interesting and entertaining. Examples of some past events have included: talks from local experts on a wide variety of topics; walks in and around Petworth; evenings of traditional music; and talks on historic Petworth illustrated with archive photographs.

Most events are ticketed. Members and non-members are all welcome; we normally offer discounted rates for members.

Tickets can usually be purchased in a number of ways: via this website; via flyers in the quarterly Magazine; at our Book Sales; or at the door on the day of the event.

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Heritage Sites

The Society supports a number of heritage sites and events in the Petworth area. Principal amongst these are: Leconfield Hall; the Coultershaw Beam Pump; the Petworth Cottage Museum; the Petworth St Edmund’s Day Fair; and the Heritage Open Day events that incorporate a number of sites in the Petworth area.

The Society is also supporting the St Mary’s Petworth Spire Reinstatement project (www.petworthspire.org). Currently without one, this will be the third spire in the history of St Mary’s Church. The second spire was deemed structurally unsound and taken down shortly after the end of World War II. If you would like to know more about the history of the spire, please search our Magazine archive on this website.

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Get Involved

The Society is a charity. It relies entirely on voluntary help. If you are interested in the history of Petworth and its community and would like to lend a hand, please contact us. ‘Lending a hand’ might mean, for example, helping with: arranging events; tickets at the door or drinks at the bar at events; Magazine distribution; tasks relating to the Book Sales; or manning a Society stand at Fairs. There is plenty to do, whatever your skills might be, and we hope you would find it interesting and fun.

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