The area around Tillington Parish is steeped in history largely because of its proximity to the great estates of Cowdray, Petworth and Pitshill. The majority of the 18th and 19th Century inhabitants of Tillington, Upperton and River worked on the latter two estates and lived in village houses provided for them .
Petworth House and Estate
To the east, Tillington Parish borders Petworth House and Park, the home of Lord Egremont and his family. The landscaped park is some 700 acres and has the largest herd of fallow deer in England. The Leconfield Estate, centered on the house, is a traditional agricultural estate of 14,000 acres and in the past has provided much work for our parish inhabitants
Pitshill Estate
Pitshill came into the Mitford family around 1760 when it was bought by William Mitford of Petworth. During the late 18th Century and early 19th the family enlarged the estate through the purchase of nearby farms and land, including the Manor of Dean. Pitshill was purchased by Charles Pearson in 1998, who over the past five years has sympathetically restored the house to its former glory. In the past the estate has employed inhabitants of the parish, particularly from Upperton and River.
Cowdray Ruins
Some five miles west of Tillington, close to the town of Midhurst lies the ruins of one of England's most important Tudor Manor houses. Visited by both King Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth I, the house was partially destroyed by fire in 1793. Little restoration was attempted and by the19th Century the house was a ruin. It came into the Pearson family in 1908 when Sir Weetman Pearson acquired the property. He became the 1st Viscount Cowdray nine years later. The much loved 'Cowdray Ruins' is now in the ownership of the 4th Viscount.
