Parham Park facts for kids
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
Parham House east front
|
|
| Area of Search | West Sussex |
|---|---|
| Grid reference | TQ059148 |
| Coordinates | 50°55′22″N 0°29′33″W / 50.922817°N 0.492407°W |
| Interest | Biological |
| Area | 263.4 ha (651 acres) |
| Notification | 1965 |
Parham Park is a beautiful old house and estate in West Sussex, England. It was built during the time of Queen Elizabeth I. The estate was first owned by a monastery. In 1540, King Henry VIII gave it to Robert Palmer. Parham Park is located near the villages of Cootham, Storrington, and Pulborough.
History of Parham House
The first stone of Parham House was laid in 1577. A two-year-old boy named Thomas Palmer helped lay it. Since then, it has always been a family home. In 1601, Thomas Bishopp bought Parham House. His family lived there for more than 300 years.
In 1922, the Hon. Clive Pearson bought Parham from Mary, 17th Baroness Zouche. He and his wife, Alicia, worked hard to restore the house. They also filled it with old furniture, paintings, and special fabrics. They even found items that used to belong to the house.
During the Second World War, from 1939, about 30 children from London stayed at Parham House. In 1942, the house was used by Canadian soldiers. After the war, in 1948, the Pearson family opened the house to visitors.
Today, Parham House is owned by a special trust that helps keep it safe. Lady Emma Barnard, whose great-aunt was Mrs. Tritton, lives in one part of the house with her family. The house and its gardens are surrounded by a large area of farmland and forests.
Special Collections at Parham
Parham House has a very important collection of old needlework. Some people believe that parts of this needlework were made by Mary, Queen of Scots. You can see an exhibition about the house's history between 1922 and 1948. This exhibition includes many old family photos and pictures of the building work.
The Deer Park
Around Parham House, there is a large, old deer park. It covers about 300 acres. The Fallow Deer you see there today are related to the deer that lived in the park in 1628.
This deer park is also a Site of Special Scientific Interest. This means it's a very important place for nature. It has special plants called epiphytic lichens. It is also home to two rare types of beetles and a large group of herons.
Parham in Films
Parham House has been used as a location for movies. The 1995 film Haunted was filmed a lot at Parham. This movie was based on a book by James Herbert, who lived nearby in West Sussex.
