Parham Park facts for kids
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
Parham House east front
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| Area of Search | West Sussex |
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| 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 House & Gardens is a beautiful old house and estate in West Sussex, England. It was built in the Elizabethan style, which was popular when Queen Elizabeth I was on the throne. The house is located near the village of Cootham, between Storrington and Pulborough.
Contents
History of Parham House
Building the House
Building Parham House started in 1577. A two-year-old boy named Thomas Palmer laid the first stone! It has been a family home ever since. The land was first owned by Westminster Abbey. King Henry VIII gave it to Robert Palmer in 1540.
New Owners and Restoration
Sir Thomas Bishopp bought Parham House in 1601. His family lived there for more than 300 years, until 1922. In 1922, Bernard Clive Pearson bought Parham. He and his wife, Alicia, worked hard to restore the house. They also filled it with amazing old furniture, paintings, and textiles. They even found items that used to belong to the house!
Opening to Visitors
During the Second World War, from 1939, Parham House was a safe place for 30 children. They had been evacuated from London. In 1942, the house was used by Canadian soldiers. After the war, in 1948, Mr. and Mrs. Pearson opened Parham House to visitors. It was one of the first private homes in England to do this.
Today, you can see an exhibition about the years between 1922 and 1948. It has many family photos and pictures of the building work. The house also has a very special collection of old needlework. Some people believe that Mary, Queen of Scots might have worked on some of the bed hangings!
Parham Today
Lady Emma Barnard inherited the house from her great-aunt, Veronica Mary Tritton. Lady Emma lives in one part of the house with her family. Parham House and Gardens are now owned by a charitable trust. This means it is looked after for everyone to enjoy. The estate includes about 875 acres of farmland and forests.
A famous reformer named Henry 'Orator' Hunt was buried in the churchyard at Parham Park in 1835.
The Deer Park
Around Parham House, there is a large, old deer park that covers about 300 acres. The Fallow Deer you see there are descendants of the original herd. These deer have been living in the park since at least 1628!
The deer park is also a special place for nature. It is called a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). This means it is important for its unique plants and animals. You can find rare lichen growing on the trees. It is also home to two rare types of beetles and a large heronry, which is where herons build their nests.
Smuggling History
Parham House has a connection to an interesting event from the 1700s. In 1747, a famous group of smugglers called the Hawkhurst Gang raided the Customs House at Poole. Smuggling is when people secretly bring goods into or out of a country without paying taxes. After a conflict with his accomplices, the body of one of the smugglers was later found in a pond on the Parham House estate.
Parham in Movies
Parham House has even been a star in a movie! The 1995 film Haunted was filmed a lot at Parham. The movie is based on a book by James Herbert, who lived nearby in West Sussex.
