Catholic Church Petworth

The catholic church in Petworth is built in a very old fashioned style but was actually constructed in the thirties.  Even now it still looks a bit odd as a result, though no doubt another century on and it will look very traditional.

It is located in an out of the way part of the town and its churchyard is separated from it.

I wouldn't describe it as a building of any architectural interest but the flower beds are well kept and very nice to look at.

Meghdoots

 

Meghdoot's is an Indian restaurant, but it isn't like your average Indian restaurant. If you are looking for some spicy sauce to follow a night of serious drinking you will probably do better going somewhere else. I'm not knocking conventional curry houses here - I like something nice and spicy and easy to digest after I've had a few beers as much as anyone. The only trouble is that it might put you off going to an Indian restaurant simply to enjoy some good food.  But please don't be put off of Meghdoots.

Meghdoot's has its own distinctive style of cooking. For a start, before you even pick up your knife and fork you can see that they use good ingredients. The chicken looks like chicken, and you can tell which bit of the bird you are eating for instance. Fried onions have the appearance of having been cut and fried just before being served.  The menu is very helpful giving not only the names of the dishes - which didn't help me very much - but also a description of the dish so you can order with some idea of what you are going to get even if you don't really know much about the cuisine.

On our last visit we had some kebabed chicken with ginger and some lamb in an orange sauce - not a combination I would have thought of but one which worked really well. The flavours are subtle and very enjoyable. We had some very well cooked rice with it. It was very light and not remotely sticky. The prices are a bit higher than a typical curry house, but don't really reflect how much above average the food is.

The wine list seemed okay - I don't really have any idea about wine but picking a mid priced one gave a very reasonable tasting one.  I am not really very interested in wine so a wine buff might have a different view. 

All in all, highly recommended - but don't go after a night's drinking.

Meghdoots

The Market Square

Petworth's current layout is a fairly new one, having to live with the demands of the modern road network. The A272 runs through the middle of town including through the historic market square. The name is an old one but easy enough to understand. The square is still the home of regular markets and is also used for many local events.

One of the regular fairs held in it is the Charter Fair. This is a fair held by a royal charter, the charter in this case going back to the reign of Edward IV many centuries ago. There are also much more modern Farmers' Markets and the French Market. The French Market, frankly, isn't all that special even if you are a francophile. (In fact especially if you are a francophile.) The Farmers' Market on the other hand is well worth a visit. There are plenty of stalls selling local produce.

The centre piece of the square is the Leconfield Hall, which seems to be pretty old (note to self - do some research). The bust of William III is interesting, but the building doesn't look quite as old as his reign. It is used today as the cultural centre of the town, a handy venue for social evenings and for more serious public meetings as well. It has its own website, http://www.leconfieldhall.org.uk which has a distinctive design and which lists what is going on there. I find it quite endearing that the website gives no details whatever about the history of the building or any background on its architectural significance, but does give a rundown of the state of the curtains inside. This is obviously a working building and not just an historical relic.