Heritage Trails
Rural Ways and three of the South East’s most popular heritage sites Lullingstone Roman Villa in Kent, Petworth House and Parham Park in West Sussex have created new trails. Follow the walks, of 1 to 4 miles, to find out about the people, history, landscape and nearby communities that have shaped these sites over the centuries and helped make them the special places they are today.
The town of Petworth is inextricably linked with Petworth House. Virtually everyone in Petworth depended on Lord Leconfield for their livelihood. His estate employed hundreds of people and housed them in the cottages which are still such a distinctive feature of the townscape. If you didn’t get on with the Leconfield Estate, you left.
Petworth House literally shaped the town, which crowds against its high walls, and the labour of the townspeople kept the house and estate working for centuries. The legacy of the town’s service is all around. It’s only a step between Petworth House and the town – take a walk between the two to witness the connections and contrasts for yourself. See the servants’ quarters and the state-of-the-art kitchens at the House, pass the array of antique shops in cobbled Lombard Street, visit the Cottage Museum, which recreates the home of a Petworth seamstress as it would have been in 1910, see some of the finest estate cottages and follow the Round-the- Hills path for some unusual views over the working estate today.
You can find out more about the trail, which is ready at the end of April, and where to pick up a leaflet, by calling Petworth House (01798 342207) or visiting Petworth on the National Trust website.
Explore the historical and ecological links between Parham Park and Pulborough Brooks – both exhibit a wealth of wildlife, flora and fauna in beautiful landscapes created and managed by both man and nature.
Nature or Nurture? Ponder this question while you make your way between the spectacular Nature Reserve at Pulborough Brooks and Parham Park, itself a Site of Special Scientific Interest and little changed in over 300 years. Only three families have owned Parham since 1577, and for generations the owners and estate team at Parham have worked to maintain the estate.
“The only ‘rule’ we follow at Parham is to work with, and not against, this ancient place, accepting and preserving its spirit” Lady Emma Barnard, present owner.
At Parham you will experience both nature and nurture in the shape of beautiful walled gardens and the ancient deer park and woodlands in which there live over 300 deer, breeding herons and many rare insects and lichens. Hear from some of the people that keep it special, visit Parham House and its enchanting walled garden when they’re open, find out about some of the people who have lived here and the rare creatures the Park still shelters, take in the views from the church, follow the trail through the Park and return on footpaths, or alternatively take the bus back to Pulborough Brooks from the Crown Inn, Cootham.
Available from both Parham House and the nearby Pulborough Brooks RSPB reserve, as well as from local businesses, the ‘Heritage Trail’ is available from the end of April onwards.
The Darent Valley has been a favoured place to live and farm since before Roman times, and has a wide range of attractions set in a beautiful historic landscape that is easily accessible.
See the modern landscape of the Darent Valley through the eyes of someone who lived here at the time of the Lullingstone Roman Villa some 1700 years ago and has travelled through time to the present day. What would he recognise? Much has changed in the landscape – its buildings, agriculture, settlements, roads and other details – but aspects of what is here would be at least partly familiar: a ruined castle, a brick gatehouse, flint walls, fields of lavender and wheat, places of Christian worship, eagles and exotic beasts, a railway viaduct that resembles a grand Roman aqueduct and much more. This trail explores comparisons and contrasts between the two time periods and challenges the notion that the distant past has all but disappeared.
A time traveller’s trail between Lullingstone and Eynsford
Six astonishingly varied attractions to visit, all within a couple of miles along the beautiful Darent Valley.
Let a time traveller be your guide to the Valley’s rich history, from before the Romans to the Battle of Britain.
He’ll lead you along a 3 ¼ mile/5.2 km trail which you can do in sections, depending which attractions you want to visit – there’s enough here to keep you coming back again and again, like him! Parts of it are on a level lane or riverside path, and for the more energetic there’s a short hillier section leading up to Eagle Heights. If you walk the whole trail it’ll take a couple of hours if you don’t stop anywhere – but don’t forget to allow time to look at things.
Copies of the heritage trail can be picked up from Lullingstone Roman Villa, Lullingstone Castle, Lullingstone Country Park Visitor Centre, local businesses or the Lullingstone page of English Heritage’s website.
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