Knole

Knole Review

The town of Sevenoaks lies in London's commuter belt, a world away from the baronial air of its premier attraction, the grand, beloved home of the Sackville family since the 16th century. Begun in the 15th century and enlarged in 1603 by Thomas Sackville, Knole, with its complex of courtyards and buildings, resembles a small town. You'll need most of an afternoon to explore it thoroughly. The house is noted for its tapestries, embroidered furnishings, and the most famous set of 17th-century silver furniture to survive. Most of the salons are in the pre-baroque mode, rather dark and armorial. The magnificently florid staircase was a novelty in its Elizabethan heyday. Vita Sackville-West grew up here and used it as the setting for her novel The Edwardians, a witty account of life among the gilded set. Encircled by a 1,000-acre park where herds of deer roam free, the house lies in the center of Sevenoaks, opposite St. Nicholas Church.