Petworth Cottage Museum

The First Twenty Years

In 2016 we were able to stage an exhibition to celebrate twenty years of the museum. Extracted from the Petworth Society's scrapbooks of cuttings, the pictures and transcripts collected here occupied three sides of the exhibition hall. Five years on we cannot stage another physical exhibition but we can show these cuttings here. Unless otherwise stated the cuttings are all from the Midhurst & Petworth Observer. Click on the pictures to enlarge.

23 Time Warp found in Historic Market Town 13th April 2007

With quaint buildings and winding lanes, times has almost stood still in some parts of Petworth. A glimpse of times past can be seen at Petworth Cottage Museum in the town's High Street. This was once the home of seamstress to the Petworth estate, Mary Cummings. The cottage is furnished as it would have been in 1910, with many objects on show that would have been made in Petworth itself. Although her home was basic, Mary seemed to have a relatively good life for someone of her station, despite the fact that her husband left her alone with four children. It was the idea of museum trustee, Ann Bradley, to set up the museum, when she moved to Petworth 23 years ago. She said: “1910 was the heyday of the Leconfield Estate. That life was already starting to erode away. It is fairly unusual, it is not typical of a museum, it is a time warp. People say it is like stepping into someone's home.” The museum has been open for ten [actually eleven by 2007]. Mary lived until she was 80, dying in 1935. She spent her last years in Somerset Hospital - an almshouse owned by the Leconfield Estate.

.... continues covering Petworth Society, changes to shops in the town, Leconfield Hall, Petworth House and Park ...

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