National Trust · South Downs National Park

National Trust places in the South Downs National Park

Six National Trust places inside the South Downs National Park boundary, all free to members.

The six are Selborne Common, Winchester City Mill, Hinton Ampner House, Petworth House, Uppark and Monk's House.

Places to visit
6
Within 4 miles of a station
3
With a café
4

Distances and facilities last checked October 2026

Planning a National Trust visit in the South Downs National Park

Map of the 6 National Trust places in the South Downs National ParkSelborneWinchesterPetworthRodmell123456
South Downs National Park National Trust place, numbered as in the list below

The South Downs National Park came into being on 31 March 2010 and covers 628 square miles across Hampshire, West Sussex and East Sussex. It is a landscape of rolling chalk hills, chalk grassland, heathland, ancient woodland and dark skies, and it has the largest rights of way network of any National Park.

Six National Trust places sit inside the South Downs National Park boundary, from Selborne Common in the north to Monk's House in the south. Three of them are within four miles of a mainline railway station, and four have a café.

Around Selborne

Selborne Common: Beech woods and flower-rich meadows associated with naturalist Gilbert White. Hinton Ampner House: Ralph Dutton rebuilt Hinton Ampner twice to match his Georgian ideal. National Trust house and garden near Alresford, Hampshire. Winchester City Mill: An ancient watermill with café, island garden and wildlife habitat in central Winchester. The three are about 16 miles apart from first to last, so they fit into one day.

Around Petworth

Petworth House: Petworth House: Grade I listed 1688 country house with Turner paintings and Grinling Gibbons carvings. Uppark: A 17th-century house within a garden of lawns, borders and wildflower meadow overlooking the South Downs. Monk's House: Leonard and Virginia Woolf's 17th-century country retreat in the Sussex village of Rodmell. The three are about 53 miles apart from first to last, so they fit into one day.

By train

Winchester City Mill is 0.7 miles from Winchester and Monk's House is 0.6 miles from Southease - Piddinghoe Road. Distances are in a straight line, so allow longer on foot or by taxi or bus.

Before you go

Many places open fewer days or close for part of the winter, so check opening times before you travel.

Three to start with

Hinton Ampner House

Photo: Rwendland, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Hinton Ampner House

Ralph Dutton rebuilt Hinton Ampner twice to match his Georgian ideal. National Trust house and garden near Alresford, Hampshire. 3.1 miles from Alresford (heritage railway). Has a café and car park.

3.1 miles from Alresford (heritage railway) · Café · Parking

Read our guide →
Petworth House

Photo: Donar Reiskoffer, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Petworth House

Petworth House: Grade I listed 1688 country house with Turner paintings and Grinling Gibbons carvings. 4.6 miles from Pulborough station. Has a café and car park.

4.6 miles from Pulborough · Café · Parking

Read our guide →
Uppark

Photo: EccentricRichard at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Uppark

A 17th-century house within a garden of lawns, borders and wildflower meadow overlooking the South Downs. 4.3 miles from Petersfield station. Has a café and car park.

4.3 miles from Petersfield · Café · Parking

Official site →

All six, north to south

Numbers match the map above. Distances are to the nearest railway station, in a straight line.

  1. 1

    Selborne Common

    Historic building

    3.7 miles from Alton

  2. 2

    Winchester City Mill

    Historic building

    0.7 miles from Winchester

    CaféParking Official site →
  3. 3

    Hinton Ampner House

    Historic building

    3.1 miles from Alresford (heritage railway)

    CaféParking Read our guide →
  4. 4

    Petworth House

    Historic building

    4.6 miles from Pulborough

    CaféParking Read our guide →
  5. 5

    Uppark

    Historic building

    4.3 miles from Petersfield

    CaféParking Official site →
  6. 6

    Monk's House

    Historic building

    0.6 miles from Southease - Piddinghoe Road

Plan your visit

Membership

National Trust members get into all six for free, and parking at Trust car parks is free too. Some places are open land with no entry charge, so check each place before you go.

Is National Trust membership worth it? →

Without a car

  • Monk's House: 0.6 miles from Southease - Piddinghoe Road
  • Winchester City Mill: 0.7 miles from Winchester
See them on the map with the station filter →

Two days, two groups

Two day routes, each built from places close to each other. Distances between stops are in a straight line, so allow more by road.

Day 1 · Northern group

Day 1: Selborne Common, Hinton Ampner House and Winchester City Mill1Selborne Common2Hinton Ampner House3Winchester City Mill
  1. 1 Selborne Common
  2. 2 Hinton Ampner House · 9.5 miles on
  3. 3 Winchester City Mill · 6.9 miles on

About 16 miles from first stop to last.

Day 2 · Southern group

Day 2: Petworth House, Uppark and Monk's House1Petworth House2Uppark3Monk's House
  1. 1 Petworth House
  2. 2 Uppark · 12.4 miles on
  3. 3 Monk's House · 40.4 miles on

About 53 miles from first stop to last.

Coming from further away?

Enter your start and end points in the journey planner. It lists every place within 5, 10 or 20 miles of your route, in the order you will pass them.

Open the journey planner →

Questions

How many National Trust places are in the South Downs National Park?

Six sit inside the South Downs National Park boundary: Selborne Common, Winchester City Mill, Hinton Ampner House, Petworth House, Uppark and Monk's House.

Which can I reach by train?

Winchester City Mill is 0.7 miles from Winchester. Monk's House is 0.6 miles from Southease - Piddinghoe Road.

Which have a café?

Winchester City Mill, Hinton Ampner House, Petworth House and Uppark have a café.

Can I visit more than one in a day?

Selborne Common, Hinton Ampner House and Winchester City Mill are about 16 miles from first to last. Petworth House, Uppark and Monk's House are about 53 miles from first to last.

Useful resources

More places to explore

The free weekly newsletter

A few remarkable places in your inbox each week

Hidden Britain is a free weekly letter from Rob and Ali. Each issue picks a handful of castles, houses and gardens, and adds route ideas and events worth planning a weekend around.

  • A handful of places each week. No roundups, no listicles.
  • Route ideas and upcoming events for the weekend ahead.
  • Free, and easy to leave.

Latest issue

Hidden Britain Issue 24: Orford Ness, Suffolk

Read it online →

Boundary: South Downs National Park, Natural England (Open Government Licence). Designation facts: South Downs National Park Authority. Station distances from Land & Legacy data, last checked October 2026.

Photo credits: Selborne Common: don cload, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Winchester City Mill: Johan Bakker, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Hinton Ampner House: Rwendland, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Petworth House: Donar Reiskoffer, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Uppark: EccentricRichard at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Monk's House: Oliver Mallinson Lewis from Oxford, United Kingdom, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Data sources and attributions