Date/Time
Date(s) - 14 June 2025
2:30 pm - 3:30 pm
Price
£10.00
Categories
THE PETWORTH SOCIETY
THE UNDERGROUND WORLD OF PETWORTH HOUSE
Saturday 14th of June 2.30 and 3.30p.m.
This 45 minutes tour of the underground world of Petworth House will be led by committee Member Ian Yonge who is also a tour guide at the House.
The National Trust will NOT be running its own tunnel tours this year so this Society visit will be your only chance to visit in 2025.
We start the tour in the Summer Dairy and learn how it could kill the unwary and the role it played in Petworth Town fire fighting. We will learn about the tunnel and underground complex at Petworth House. We will then walk through the 1750’s servants tunnel under the courtyard and hear about how it was constructed, its use from the 1700’s to World War 11 and its current use as a home to bats- which will all have left for their Summer holidays! On route we will diverge down a short side tunnel to the well and hear how different methods were used to bring up water over the years from a donkey to a “bug”. We will see the remnants of the 1870’s hydraulic lift. Leaving this tunnel we will then make our way to the 1784 underground ice house, the largest domestic icehouse in England with its three chambers capable of holding in total over 280 cubic metres of ice. We will learn about how it was built and used, where the ice came from and how important ice was to the Victorian dinner party. We will also visit the Wood Yard (normally closed to the public) and the Cow Yard to learn about the buildings there and how essential they were to the running of the “big House”.
Not suitable for wheel chair users.
There will be two tours at 2.30 and 3.30 on Saturday 14th of June with numbers limited to 12 on each tour. As there is a limit on numbers if you would like to join please book online at https://Petworthsociety.co.uk or by emailing emailing Bev Sewell at Info@Petworth Society.co.uk.
Cost to members and non members £10 to defray expenses.
Entry through Church Lodge entrance and meet in Courtyard between house and servants quarters. Say you are on tunnel tour and you will be waved through the pay barrier.
Bookings
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