Uppark

About the museum

Uppark is a country house on the crest of the South Downs ridge in West Sussex. The house we see today was built around 1690 for Ford Grey, 1st Earl of Tankerville, in the fashionable Anglo-Dutch style of the royal court of William and Mary. In 1747 it was bought by Sir Matthew Fetherstonhaugh, whose family made its fortune in coal and wine, and he and his wife spent a large sum transforming the house and buying paintings and furnishings on a Grand Tour of Europe.

Their son, Sir Harry Fetherstonhaugh, made Uppark a centre of Regency high society. He hosted parties for the Prince of Wales, was friends with the landscape designer Humphry Repton, who proposed changes to the house and garden in 1810, and was linked with the young Emma Hart, later Lady Hamilton. Later the housekeeper Sarah Wells worked here; her son became the writer H. G. Wells.

In 1989 a fire badly damaged the house. Much of the contents were rescued, and the plasterwork ceiling of the Saloon, for example, was reassembled from rescued fragments. Today the house is looked after by the National Trust. Visitors can see the furnished rooms, the servants’ quarters in the basement and a small exhibition on the recent repairs and items saved from the fire, while the garden and meadow are free to enter.

Highlights

• 17th-century house with 18th-century furnishings from the Grand Tour
• Rooms rebuilt from fragments after the fire of 1989
• Servants’ quarters and tunnels below the house
• Garden designed largely by Humphry Repton around 1810, free to enter
• Wildflower meadow with views over the South Downs to the Solent

Permanent exhibitions

• The house at Uppark – Furnished 18th-century rooms including the Saloon, Dining Room and Stone Hall, plus the servants’ quarters in the basement.
• Lower Servants’ Hall exhibition – A small display of items uncovered during the recent repair project and fragments rescued after the 1989 fire.

Operated by

National Trust

Admission & discounts

The garden, meadow, refreshment kiosk and second-hand bookshop are free to enter; house tickets cover general entry and the bookable Tuesday tours. Prices shown are without Gift Aid; the Gift Aid prices are £11 adult, £5.50 child, £27.50 family and £16.50 for one adult with children. National Trust members enter free. Car parking is free for members and Blue Badge holders.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Ramped access to Visitor Reception, a fully accessible hard path around the main garden, and a lift in the house (please email ahead to arrange it). Tuesday tours are accessible except the final display in the Lower Servants’ Hall. Mobility scooters cannot be used in the house, but manual wheelchairs can be booked by email. Six accessible parking spaces are at the top of the car park and two directly outside the house, with a drop-off point. A portable induction loop is available in the house and a BSL guided tour can be arranged with notice. Accessible toilets are next to the bookshop and in the basement of the house. Assistance dogs are welcome throughout.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Stroller-friendly
• Baby changing facilities

The garden and south meadow are free for children’s games, kite flying and picnics, and the house has an animal spotters activity in each room. Children are welcome on Tuesday tours. Pushchairs with clean wheels can go into the house (the lower floor is reached by lift), or visitors can use a front baby carrier. Baby changing is in the bookshop and tunnel toilets.

Getting there & parking

5 miles south-east of Petersfield on the B2146, 1½ miles south of South Harting. Satnav postcode GU31 5QR. The South Downs Way passes within ¾ mile, and there is a rack for 8 bikes in the car park.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

Refreshment kiosk with indoor seating in the East Pavilion and outdoor seating; second-hand bookshop in the East Pavilion. Picnics are welcome. Dogs on short leads are welcome in the garden and grounds, but not in the mansion or tunnels.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit