Would we even be in England if we didn’t go to a wonderful National Trust property? Of course not! We’re at Knole today, exploring its 600+ year history.
Originally built in the 1500s as an archbishop’s palace, it passed through royal hands to the Sackville family in 1605 – the family still lives on site in private apartments. There’s certainly no shortage of rooms: local legend calls Knole a ‘calendar house’ with 365 rooms, 52 staircases and 12 entrances, but it actually doesn’t. I’d hazard a guess that it’s close though – it’s enormous.
We start our tour in the Great Hall, with its immense, intricately carved oak screen dating back to 1605. The family crest proudly sits on top, featuring snow leopards. Our guide tells us it’s likely that the London Zoo had a snow leopard at the time and whilst no other family could have a lion in its crest (exclusively the King’s) they were free to choose other big cats. We also learn that the Zoo had a polar bear kept on a very long lead – he was allowed to go for a swim in the Thames. You can’t make this stuff up – a polar bear swimming in the Thames!!!
This voluptuous minx reclines in the hallway – a favourite mistress apparently. I’ll bet his wife was just *thrilled* when she was unveiled.
Knole has a number of claims to fame: it has a 400 year tradition of being open to the public, it’s the site of Kent’s last mediaeval deer herd and most fascinatingly, it’s the proud owner of England’s first staircase. Seriously. Prior to Knole, houses had steps but not staircases.
Chatting to our very knowledgeable guide, we conclude it must also be the first use of architectural negative space, i.e., the stairwell. I do love the Trust guides – they’re an incredible font of knowledge, always willing to share. The Great Staircase features an early English tromp l’oeil featuring the virtues and the senses. It’s all rather grand.
Knole features not one but three long halls. Originally built as walkways for inclement weather they’re now used as art galleries to showcase a fine art collection.
We see the Spangle Bedroom with its state bed and magnificent fabrics embellished with hundreds of silver gilt sequins and silver thread.
The James II bed in the Venetian Bedroom is equally grand.
I was lucky to shot a few external views from windows as we find out later that the gardens are only open a few days throughout the year – they’re still private family spaces.
The King’s Room features rare solid silver furniture and a 17th-century Kussenkas, a ‘cushion wardrobe’, so named because of its shape. It was discovered relatively recently, in pieces in the attic. The eagle eyed among you will spot one piece missing, top left. Our guide tells us it fits together like Lego!
We see the famous 17th century Knole Sofa with its distinctive high back and sides, allegedly the precursor to modern sofa design. Not a great deal appears to have changed!
The sofa, textiles and artworks and other historical items have been conserved on site in the Royal Oak Foundation conservation studio. We pop in later and I’m told off for taking this first photo, but in my defence, a conservator was standing in front of the sign saying no photos. The studio conserves items from all National Trust properties, not just Knole.
We later learn that Knole’s formal rooms are in pristine condition because they’ve never been used – the bedrooms slept in once, if that.
The Great Hall is the showcase room where dignitaries and royalty were received.
Knole features three floor to ceiling marble fireplaces carved by the King’s master stone mason. They’re fabulously grand.
Much of Knole’s furniture once belonged to royal Stuart palaces, the crossed bow base of chairs indicte they were built for royal use.
On our way out, we spot this cunning entry in the front entrance door – clever, it saves opening the heavy door each time.
It’s a rainy day and the deer are sensibly tucked up under trees. They’re divided into groups – young ones together, almost grown out of their spotty baby coats and groups of girls, carefully overseen by an impressively antlered male.
We had great plans for the next day – a hike through one of the National Trust’s many gorgeous protected green spaces but the day slips away from us.
I started the final process of prepack sorting last night, wardrobes first, then shoes, then cabinets. There’s only so much that can be done before the suitcases come out but it’s a task that drags through to the morning. By the time we’re out to run a few errands and drop donations off to charity, it’s early afternoon.
It doesn’t help that my phone inexplicably detaches itself from the internet. Instead of enjoying a well deserved hike, I spend an hour in help desk chat only to find out it’s a technical problem at their end. You’d think they they’d start there but no, it’s a full setting reset and multiple reboots that take restarting a help desk chat each time. Frustrating. Hours later there’s no solution in sight.
