Pitshill is a Grade II* listed house built in the neo-classical style and is located within the Parish of Tillington

Tillington, West Sussex

Tillington is a village and civil parish in the District of Chichester in West Sussex, England located one mile west of Petworth on the A272. The parish includes the hamlets of Upperton, River, and River Common....

 a couple of miles west of Petworth

Petworth

Petworth is a small town and civil parish in the Chichester District of West Sussex, England. It is located at the junction of the A272 east-west road from Heathfield to Winchester and the A283 Milford to Shoreham-by-Sea road. Some twelve miles to the south west of Petworth along the A285 road...

. Begun by William Mitford in 1760 on the site of an earlier house it was completed by his son, also William, in 1794. It is considered to be one of the most important country houses in West Sussex

West Sussex

West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...

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The rectangular house of two stories with an attic and basement has a main east facing façade built in 1760 to a design by John Upton

John Upton

John Upton was born in Petworth, Sussex, England. He was a civil engineer and contractor working on roads, canals and ports first in England and later in Russia.-English career:...

, the Petworth Estate surveyor. It is built in limestone ashlar

Ashlar

Ashlar is prepared stone work of any type of stone. Masonry using such stones laid in parallel courses is known as ashlar masonry, whereas masonry using irregularly shaped stones is known as rubble masonry. Ashlar blocks are rectangular cuboid blocks that are masonry sculpted to have square edges...

 with rusticated

Rustication (architecture)

thumb|upright|Two different styles of rustication in the [[Palazzo Medici-Riccardi]] in [[Florence]].In classical architecture rustication is an architectural feature that contrasts in texture with the smoothly finished, squared block masonry surfaces called ashlar...

 ground floor and a balustraded parapet over the side portions.

The remaining elevations are brick and render decorated to match the east front and were constructed in the 1790s to plans influenced but not completed by Sir John Soane. Further substantial works were carried out to the house in the 1830s as well as the later Nineteenth Century additions of a veranda and conservatory, these being removed in the 1950s leaving a classical style rectangular building.

The main house is augmented by two nineteenth century lodges, an 1840s stable block, a shell house and an ice house, both probably late eighteenth century and a late nineteenth century tower – all Grade II listed and standing within a Grade II park listed by English Heritage

English Heritage

English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...

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A public bridleway and public footpaths through the park give access for the public.