Bignor Park

Built in the early nineteenth century, Bignor Park’s Georgian architecture and historic parkland are exceptional. It was once the home of the famous Romantic poet Charlotte Turner Smith, a major influence on William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and now belongs to Viscount and Viscountess Mersey, having been in the family for one hundred years.

The house, tucked away down an impressive half-mile-long drive, is at the heart of an eleven-hundred-acre estate, in stunning surroundings at the foot of the magnificent South Downs.

The panoramic parkland setting was laid out in the 1820s by celebrated landscape designer William Sawrey Gilpin. There are eleven acres of beautiful gardens, including formal box hedges and herbaceous borders, a temple and loggia, cedars of Lebanon and the rare Lucombe Oak.

Visitors are welcomed in the hall by the owner or a member of his family. There follows an introductory talk, which covers the history of the house and grounds, nature conservation work and the joys and challenges of running Bignor Park as a going concern today. Then we embark upon a tour of the three principal rooms, the drawing room, library and dining room. There will be plenty of opportunity to ask questions. Afterwards, visitors have the opportunity to explore the gardens at their leisure and are provided with garden maps and guides. They are welcome to bring a picnic to enjoy on one of the lawns.

Tours that are scheduled will be listed below. If none are scheduled yet, please check back later, or find other tours you might enjoy on our tours listing page here.