Antiquing in Petworth

London this week has been cold,  dreary,  grey, and at times wet.  Perfect soup weather. Today, roasted butternut squash soup--yesterday, leek and sweet potato. So when faced with those circumstances, you can snuggle in all day and read a good book about London, or you can get out and do what the real troopers do--SHOP!  You know what they say, when the going gets tough, the tough go shopping! 

So, we bundled up and gathered early one morning at Victoria Station to catch a train south to the small town of Petworth, known for its beautiful 17th century mansion overseen by the National Trust (on the list for next trip) and its antiques. By train, only an hour and 20 minutes away, we traveled through countryside, sheep pastures, and villages till we made our way to Petworth.

Petworth is an ancient market town, and its St. Mary's church dates from the 13-14th century.

The town boasts 37 antique shops, and we did our very best to cover them all. We found the Tudor Rose Antique shop to be fascinating, since it was located in a building that was 500 years old.

So many things to see, so much diversity in age and styles. Furnishings and small items both.

We loved this booth in the Antique Centre.

Sweet christening dresses amidst furniture from all periods.

One of the gals bought this beautiful French pastry table to take home to the US with her. Loved it!

I found this chair and its story fascinating. It's a lambing chair from the 18th century. The dealer explained to us that at the end of his day, a shepherd would pull this chair up to the fire and sit in it to feed the orphan lambs. The storage drawer under the seat would hold the bottles he would need to nourish the little lamb. Can't you just picture that scene?  If you want me to pick it up for you, it will only cost you $4100. Email me!

A successful shopping day for a few of the gals, and a learning experience for the rest of us, we loved our get-away trip from the city. One final temptation lured us at the end of the day--The Sugar Lounge, but alas, the train was approaching to take us home. Next time, Petworth, we'll see your Petworth Mansion and fit in the Sugar Lounge.  Promise!