11 fabulous photos of Petworth House in West Sussex

The estate first came into the possession of the powerful Percy family through a royal gift from Adeliza of Louvain to her brother Joscelin of Louvain. Under the ownership of the Percy family, Petworth served as an occasional residence, with a fortified manor house constructed by Henry de Percy, 1st Baron Percy, in 1308–09.

Despite the family's primary seat being at Alnwick Castle, conflicts with the crown during the English Reformation led to the family's confinement to Petworth.

In the 17th century, Petworth House underwent a big transformation under the ownership of Lady Elizabeth Percy and her husband, Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset. Inspired by the Baroque style of the Palace of Versailles, the house was then rebuilt between 1688 and 1702. This was to to establish Petworth as a rival to European palaces.

The expansive grounds and parkland were also developed and featured luxury gardens, lots of lime trees and terraced walks which enhancing the estate's style.

Eventually, the inheritance of Petworth House later passed to the Wyndham family. They had an important role in the house’s further development.

The 2nd Earl of Egremont enriched the house with Rococo mirrors and antique statues while commissioning Lancelot 'Capability' Brown to landscape the parkland in the 1750s and 1760s.

However, it was the 3rd Earl of Egremont who solidified Petworth's reputation as a house of fine art. He expanded the collection of contemporary art and made significant changes to the house, including the addition of the North Gallery in 1824–25. The 3rd Earl's patronage of artists like J. M. W. Turner and John Constable further enhanced Petworth's cultural significance.

Despite the split inheritance challenges faced by the Wyndham family, Petworth House remained a beacon of art and grandeur, with subsequent generations continuing to preserve and enrich its legacy.

Today, Petworth House stands as a testament to centuries of aristocratic life, artistic patronage as well as pure architectural skill in England. Information for this history was sourced form Wikipedia.