Parham House

Our trip to Champs Hill was followed by a visit to Parham House.  We enjoyed the wonderful gardens and the beautiful interiors of the house where the ground floor rooms are presented as they would have been in different centuries

The upper gallery offered superb views of the surrounding countryside.

We were delighted to hear the story of Henry Bisshop (1605–1691) who was the second son of Sir Thomas Bishopp, 1st Baronet of Parham

Henry was from Henfield and it is believed that he hid in a priest hole with his dog when Cromwell’s troops attempted to capture him. He escaped to America and on his return the King appointed him as the first Postmaster General of England. He was the inventor of the postmark to be used on mail.

Our afternoon was completed with a cream tea in the Elizabethan kitchen – how did the staff keep track of so many call bells?!