Cowdray Estate

Cowdray Estate spans around 16,500 acres of the South Downs National Park around the market town of Midhurst in West Sussex. At its heart stand the romantic ruins of Cowdray House, one of England's most important early Tudor courtier palaces, gutted by fire in 1793 and now conserved as a striking heritage site open to visitors.

The estate is best known internationally as the home of British polo, with Cowdray Park Polo Club hosting the prestigious Gold Cup each summer on lawns that have welcomed royal players for generations. Beyond polo, the estate offers a working farm shop and cafe, walking and cycling trails through parkland and ancient woodland, fly fishing on the River Rother, and clay shooting at the Cowdray Outdoor Pursuits Centre.

The ruins themselves combine a gatehouse, hall range, chapel and kitchen tower in warm Bargate stone, and the audio-guided tour brings to life visits by Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. Together with the polo lawns, the surrounding parkland and the medieval streets of Midhurst just across the causeway, Cowdray makes a rewarding day out in the heart of the South Downs.