Arts and crafts in West Sussex
West Sussex (including Adur, Arun, Chichester, Crawley, Horsham, Mid Sussex and Worthing) is in the South East of England. It has a population of around 807,000 and covers approximately 199,000 hectares. Here is a list of nearby or neighbouring counties: East Sussex, Hampshire, Surrey.
The county town of West Sussex is Chichester, where you can visit Pallant House Gallery which has a large collection of 20th century British art and Chichester Cathedral, that in addition to its impressive Norman and Gothic architecture is noted for its modern works of art. Located near Chichester, Goodwood House is a 17th century stately home which has an extensive art collection, including paintings by Canaletto, Joshua Reynolds and George Stubbs as well as tapestries and ceramics. The estate is a venue for a range of events and is home to the Cass Sculpture Foundation, where visitors can see a variety of sculptures among the picturesque landscape and purchase the work created by contemporary artists. Performing arts venues in West Sussex include the Capitol Theatre in Horsham, The Hawth Theatre in Crawley, Chichester Festival Theatre, Connaught Theatre in Worthing and Ropetackle Arts Centre in Shoreham-by-Sea.
The Weald and Downland Open Air Museum in the village of Singleton has dozens of buildings from previous centuries, which were moved from their original locations and reconstructed on the site. Inside they have been furnished and decorated as they would have looked in the past, whilst outside the landscape and farm animals add to the sense of how people once lived and worked. The museum also runs country events and activities, such as demonstrations of traditional rural crafts. The Worthing Museum and Art Gallery has a large collection of textiles and costumes from the 17th to 21st century, along with collections of toys, dolls, paintings and sculpture. Other attractions in West Sussex include Arundel Castle, Horsham Museum and Art Gallery, Petworth House, Fishbourne Roman Palace, the ruins of Cowdray Castle near Midhurst, South Downs National Park, Worthing Pier and Tilgate Park in Crawley.
There is an excellent arts and crafts house in East Grinstead called Standen. You can see house interiors by William Morris, William AS Benson and William De Morgan.
