Pallant House Gallery from Hayling Island: Modern British art in Chichester's Dodo House near Sandy Point

Pallant House Gallery is the best rainy-day outing in Chichester for a group that likes art, and one of the easiest late-season days out from Sandy Point. It is a Grade I listed Queen Anne townhouse joined to a modern gallery wing, with a collection that tells the story of British art from 1900 to now. It sits in the centre of Chichester at 8 to 9 North Pallant, PO19 1TJ, about 17 miles, or roughly 30 to 35 minutes by car from Wittering Sands, our exclusive-use house at 14 Wittering Road, Hayling Island PO11 9SP.

Unlike many attractions near the coast, it does not close for the winter. It is open six days a week all year round (closed on Mondays and for a few days over Christmas), which makes it a strong choice for a November or Christmas stay. This guide covers what you will see, opening times over Christmas, what it costs (under 18s go free), how it works for children, dogs and older relatives, and how to pair it with the rest of our Chichester guides.

What is Pallant House Gallery?

The gallery describes itself as a leading UK museum of Modern British art, and quotes The Guardian calling it "second only to the Tate for modern British art". Its collection of more than 5,000 artworks has been built largely from gifts by private collectors over 35 years, and runs from Post-Impressionism and Cubism through Neo-Romanticism and Pop to contemporary art.

Names you are likely to recognise include Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore, Graham Sutherland, Paul Nash, John Piper, Walter Sickert, Lucian Freud, Peter Blake, Richard Hamilton, Patrick Caulfield, Frank Auerbach, Rachel Whiteread and Damien Hirst. The collection highlights listed by the gallery even include a Hirst called Bognor Blue, a local touch for anyone who knows this stretch of coast.

What is the story of the house?

The original Pallant House was built in around 1712 for Henry "Lisbon" Peckham, an ambitious 27 year old wine merchant, and his new wife Elizabeth Albery. The gallery tells the story with some relish: the marriage lasted just over five years and ended in a lawsuit that ran until 1720, with much of the argument about the final cost of the house, which came to around £3,000, close to double the original estimate.

Look up as you arrive at the old entrance. The two stone birds above it were meant to be ostriches, the Peckham family crest, but were probably carved by a stonemason who had never seen one. Locals thought they looked more like dodos, and the building is still nicknamed "the Dodo House". Inside, the grand entrance hall has an elaborately carved oak and walnut staircase, today used for installations by contemporary artists, and the rooms hold 17th and 18th century furniture by makers such as Chippendale and Hepplewhite.

From 1919 to 1979 the house was used as council offices. Walter Hussey, then Dean of Chichester Cathedral, offered his own collection of Modern British art to the city on condition it was shown in the domestic setting of Pallant House, and the gallery opened in 1982. When the architect Sir Colin St John Wilson (who designed the British Library) and his wife MJ Long offered their collection, a new wing followed. Designed by Long and Kentish with Wilson, it opened in July 2006 and won a RIBA Award in 2007.

When is it open?

Regular opening hours for the gallery, shop and café are:

• Tuesday to Saturday: 10am to 5pm
• Sundays and bank holidays: 10am to 4pm
• Mondays: closed
• Last entry is one hour before closing.

The gallery's Christmas and New Year hours for 2026 are:

• Thursday 24 December: open 10am to 2pm
• Friday 25 to Monday 28 December: closed
• Tuesday 29 to Thursday 31 December: open 10am to 5pm
• Friday 1 January: closed
• Saturday 2 January onwards: normal hours

So for a Christmas or New Year stay at Sandy Point, the days between Christmas and New Year from Tuesday 29 December are the ones to aim for. The gallery suggests allowing one to two hours for a visit.

How much are tickets?

The gallery's current admission prices are:

• Adults: £17 (this includes a £2 donation so the gallery can claim Gift Aid)
• Under 18s: free
• Young adults aged 18 to 25: £8.50
• Art Fund members: £8.50
• Pallant House Gallery Friends: free

One ticket covers all exhibitions and displays on the day, and entry to the ground floor and the Print Room exhibition is free. Free entry is also offered to disabled visitors' companions and to people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance, Universal Credit, DLA, ESA or PIP, with proof on arrival, and Defence Discount Service and Blue Light card holders get 20% off. The gallery recommends booking online in advance, though tickets can also be bought at the Welcome Desk on the day, subject to availability. Prices can change, so check before you travel.

What exhibitions are on this winter?

Main exhibitions change about every six months. For a stay from November 2026 the programme listed by the gallery is:

• Rachel Howard and Frank Auerbach: Noise (30 October 2026 to 31 January 2027). Prints from newly acquired works in the collection, pairing Auerbach's etchings with Howard's bold woodcuts. The gallery notes that this exhibition includes references to death, suicide and abortion, which is worth knowing if you are visiting with children.
• Pop and the Figure (until spring 2027). The gallery's Pop Art collection seen through the human body, with works by Peter Blake, Richard Hamilton, Jann Haworth and Colin Self.
• Barbara Hepworth and Greece (21 November 2026 to 2 May 2027). The first exhibition dedicated to Hepworth's connection with Greece, built around her journey through Greece and its islands in 1954, with extracts from her diary alongside sculptures, paintings, drawings and prints. Highlights named by the gallery include Curved Form (Delphi) (1955) and the painting Pelagos (1961).
• Permanent collection displays (ongoing), spread through the rooms of the townhouse and the contemporary wing.

Two shows, British Landscapes: A Sense of Place and Haroun Hayward: Path through Trees, close on Sunday 1 November 2026.

Are there tours, talks or concerts?

• Highlights of the Collection tour: Saturdays at 11am for about an hour, £5.50 on top of an admission ticket for the same day. Listed dates include 21 and 28 November and 5, 12 and 19 December 2026.
• Barbara Hepworth and Greece tour: on the last Tuesday of the month at 11am and the last Saturday at 3pm, from December to May.
• Pallant Proms: lunchtime piano recitals at 12pm, lasting around 50 minutes, by young pianists from the Royal College of Music on a Bosendorfer grand. Remaining 2026 dates are Friday 27 November and Friday 18 December; tickets are £7 plus gallery admission for the same day.
• Thursday Late, 10 December 2026: open until 8.30pm with half-price admission, a behind-the-scenes library session, drop-in life drawing, a tour of the staircase installation, and a carol concert with La Diva Choir from 6pm to 7pm (£7.50 for adults, free for under 18s, which includes Late admission).

Some workshops sell out early (the 5 December festive linocut day was already sold out when we checked), so book anything ticketed in advance.

Is it good for children?

Yes, and it is unusually good value: everyone under 18 goes free. The gallery offers free family trails with hidden objects to spot, inspired by the current exhibitions, and Ways of Looking bags to borrow from the Welcome Desk. Food and drink are not allowed in the gallery rooms, but there is a café, and families can eat their own food behind the beech hedge in the courtyard garden.

Seasonal activities listed for this winter include:

• Chichester Starlight Trail, Saturday 21 November 2026, 1pm to 4.30pm (£12 per child). A festive afternoon shared between The Novium Museum, Pallant House Gallery, Chichester Library and Chichester Cathedral, with a lantern to make and a craft at each venue.
• Saturday Art and Craft, monthly from 10am to 11am or 11am to 12pm (£3.50 per child), best for ages 5 and over, with a festive session on Saturday 19 December. Up to two adults with a booked child get half-price gallery admission.
• Children's Workshop: Felted Greek Baubles, Tuesday 22 December 2026, 11am to 2pm (£25, ages 7 and over, bring a packed lunch).

Holiday workshops for ages 7 to 11 also run in school holidays, and Easter 2027 sessions are already listed, so it is worth a look for an Easter or February half-term stay too.

Can you bring the dog?

No, unless it is an assistance dog. The gallery welcomes guide dogs and registered assistance dogs throughout, but pet dogs cannot come in. Leave them at the house, where up to two dogs are welcome, and give them a long walk before or after. Our dog-friendly Hayling guide covers walks straight from the door at Sandy Point, and our West Wittering and East Head guide has a bigger beach walk on the Chichester side of the harbour. In winter, our winter walks and birdwatching guide has more ideas.

Is it accessible?

The main entrance on North Pallant is at street level with automatic doors, and a large lift serves every floor. The gallery has two wheelchairs that can be booked in advance, two accessible toilets on the ground floor (one with a level access shower), benches in many rooms and portable stools to carry around. There is an induction loop at the Welcome Desk, large-print labels for every exhibition, and magnifying glasses on request. The gallery says it is generally quietest on Sunday afternoons, and its Buddy Scheme volunteers can accompany a visitor around the building if arranged in advance. The nearest Changing Places toilet is at Northgate Car Park. For pushchairs, the gallery is pram-friendly with level access, and there is space to leave a pushchair behind the Welcome Desk.

A few practical points from the gallery: large bags go in lockers, which take a £1 coin or locker token; backpacks must be worn on the front in the exhibition rooms; and there is no luggage storage for suitcases.

Where do you eat?

Pallant Café is inside the gallery and does not need an admission ticket, and neither does the bookshop. Tea, coffee and cake are served all day without booking. Lunch is served 12pm to 3pm, and the café recommends booking. Afternoon tea needs at least 24 hours' notice, which makes it a good small treat for a milestone birthday stay. Highchairs are available on request in the café. Pallant Bookshop stocks art books, prints, gifts and children's books, which is useful for Christmas shopping.

How do you get there from Sandy Point?

• By car: about 17 miles and roughly 30 to 35 minutes in normal traffic, longer at peak times. Cross the Langstone bridge, take the A27 east on the Chichester Bypass, then come into the city centre. There is no parking at the gallery. Its nearest car parks are South Pallant, East Pallant and Baffins Lane, and there are ten car parks around central Chichester. Disabled parking bays are on North Pallant. Check the council's parking pages for current charges.
• By train: the gallery is about an 8 minute walk from Chichester station. Walk up South Street, turn right at the Market Cross into East Street, then right (opposite Marks and Spencer) into North Pallant. The gallery is a few hundred yards on the left. The gallery notes that trains from London Waterloo connect at Havant, and our getting to Hayling from London guide covers the trains.

With a group of up to nine, two cars and one of the Pallant car parks is usually the simplest plan.

What else could you combine it with?

Pallant House is in the middle of Chichester, so the rest of the city is on foot. The gallery itself describes Chichester Cathedral as a short walk away, and The Novium Museum is nearby; our Chichester guide covers both, plus the shops and walls. A cathedral and gallery day works well in the rain.

For a longer day, add Fishbourne Roman Palace on the way home, or Tangmere Military Aviation Museum just east of the city (open daily until 29 November 2026). Other West Sussex days out include Bosham, Petworth (another strong art day), Uppark, the Weald and Downland Living Museum and Arundel. For a late season stay, our November weekend guide has more ideas, and the Around Hayling guide covers beaches, pubs and walks on the island.

What are the stay details?

Check-in at Wittering Sands is from 4pm and checkout is by 10am. The house sleeps up to nine across four bedrooms and five beds, with 3.5 bathrooms. Children are welcome, and infants under 2 are welcome too, with a travel cot and highchair on request. Up to two well-behaved dogs are welcome. The house is for the booked guests only and does not allow parties or events. The minimum stay is usually 3 nights, and the booking calendar shows the minimum for your dates.

Rates vary by season and length of stay. The live calendar shows the current figure for your dates; this guide does not indicate availability.

How do you book?

Check the live booking calendar for current dates and pricing. If you want to talk through the group, dogs or travel plans, get in touch.

Opening times, prices, exhibitions and events can change. Check the Pallant House Gallery website before you travel.