Knole is home to one of the rarest collections in the world of Stuart-era furniture, paintings and textiles, on show to visitors since the 1600s. Hidden above the grandeur of the showrooms, the attics give a glimpse into the evolution of grand country houses. On a visit to Knole you'll also uncover a simpler side to the grandeur, with the modest rooms in the Gatehouse Tower that Eddy Sackville-West called home.
From Monday 4 November some of the showrooms are closed for winter cleaning and conservation. The Great Hall, Great Stairs, Ballroom, Reynolds Room and Cartoon Gallery remain open. The admission price has been reduced to reflect this change.
Knole has been a show house ever since Thomas Sackville first acquired it in 1605, and the incredibly rare collection survives for visitors to explore today. Visitors to Knole have followed the same route around the house for at least the last 400 years.
There's a popular myth (heavily promoted by Vita Sackville-West) that Knole is a calendar house – with 365 rooms, 52 staircases, 12 entrances and seven courtyards. While a fascinating idea, sadly this isn't the case.
The reality is the house was not designed and built in a single phase but is the accumulation of several stages of construction. The house itself encompasses seven acres of roofs and contains around 400 rooms; some are privately occupied while the showrooms continue to be open to visitors.
For the last 400 years, the showrooms have been open to visitors rather than inhabited regularly as family rooms. Discover fascinating portraits, textiles, furniture and objects including Stuart-era beds, chairs and tapestries. You are welcome to take photos but please don't use flash, tripods or commercial filming equipment.
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It took expert conservators, including those working in the Royal Oak Foundation Conservation Studio at Knole, over 500 hours to transform a Reynolds' masterpiece back to glory. Click the video to find out more.
The attics at Knole are very different from the rooms you see in the house. Hidden above the grandeur of the showrooms, they give a glimpse into the evolution of grand houses like Knole, reflecting how they were first and foremost family homes as well as show houses.
What's been left behind can tell us as much about the lives of the inhabitants and people who passed through the house as the furniture and portraits displayed downstairs.
The scale of the attics at Knole might be slightly larger than average and the contents a little older than most. Divided into three large areas, the often-forgotten domestic attics – sometimes lived in but more often used as storage areas – have evolved over the centuries with each generation adapting them to their needs.
While conservation work was taking place in the attics as part of the Inspired by Knole project, some exciting discoveries were made.
Various pieces of wood were discovered that were initially thought to be unimportant, but actually proved to be quite the opposite. On further examination and with the help of a conservator, it was discovered to be a Dutch cupboard called a Kussenkast. After considerable research and conservation work, it has been reassembled and is back on display in the Spangle Bedroom. Find out more about conserving Knole's Kussenkast by listening to interview snippets with Conservator Jan Cutajar.
Visitors can join knowledgeable volunteer guides on a 45-minute tour of the attic spaces to see these fascinating rooms and hear more stories of the people who used them and the objects that have been found here.
Book your space on an attic tour
For centuries, visitors to Knole have been met by the imposing façade of the Gatehouse Tower. The commanding tower dominates Knole’s west front and was possibly built by Henry VIII between 1543 and 1548.
Within the tower are two rooms belonging to Edward Sackville-West, 5th Baron Sackville. The atmospheric bedroom and music room contain many of his personal belongings, including books and music records from his varied collection, as well as his gramophone and visitor book.
If you climb the 77 steps of the steep spiral staircase to the top of the tower, you'll be rewarded with panoramic views of Knole Park. The sight is worth the steps as it takes in the vast parkland with its wild deer herd, and giving visitors the chance to appreciate the scale of Knole’s complex 17th-century roofline, with its many chimneys and carved stone leopards – the Sackville family emblem.
We recommend that you book tickets to visit Knole. You can book tickets up to an hour before your visit (subject to availability). Every Thursday time slots will be available for the next four weeks. Book online or call 0344 249 1895.
Find out how we can support a visit to Knole for those with additional needs.
Explore Knole's showrooms to see one of the rarest and most well-preserved collections of Royal Stuart furniture, paintings, objects and textiles – on show since 1605.
Take a tour of the Gatehouse Tower, including climbing the spiral staircase to Eddy Sackville-West’s rooms and for panoramic views over the medieval parkland.
Knole is full of treasures and was designed to impress its visitors. Originally an archbishop’s palace, then Royal residence, now home to the Sackville family for over 400 years.
The parkland at Knole is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), covering 1,000 acres of trees, undulating valleys, open parkland and is home to a herd of wild deer.
Historic buildings are a treasure trove of stories, art and collections. Learn more about their past and plan your next visit.
We look after a range of houses and unusual buildings in Kent, from the home of a great politician to a moated manor with 700 years of history for you to uncover.
