We're For Knole

Design - "Bee Happy"

Designer - Homespun Elegance

Fabric - 28 count French Country Blue

Fibers - WDW, GAST, & DMC - 2 strands over 2 threads

Started - 23 June 2013

Completed - 28 June 2013

Even though I ended up frogging out the beeskep, I still enjoyed stitching this pattern and think it turned out well.

Today we took the train to Sevenoaks, and this cool old bus to Knole.

It was originally built in 1456 as the palace for the Archbishops of Canterbury.  Henry VIII admired it, and what was the archbishop to do, but give it to him.  Henry's daughter, Elizabeth I gifted it to her cousin, Thomas Sackville in 1566.

Thomas remodeled using the craftsmen who'd worked for Queen Elizabeth, and thus created a show place! 

The Sackville family has lived here since 1603 when Thomas finished his remodeling.

The sixth Earl was Lord Chamberlain, and as a job perk he got first crack at all disused royal furniture.  When William and Mary came into power all of King James' furniture was considered passée. And so Knole has the best collection of Stuart furniture in the country. 

The family also acquired a remarkable collection of art - paintings and china.

Knole reputed to be a calendar house, with 365 rooms, 52 staircases, 12 entrances, and 7 courtyards.

Knole commands attention.

The leopard is the emblem of the Sackville family and shows up everywhere.

It is glorious from the garden.

Vita Sackville-West was born and lived at Knole.  Can you imagine what her childhood was like?  As the only child of the 3rd Baron, she was not able to inherit her home, instead after her father's passing, it went to a male cousin. Knole haunted Vita the rest of her life.  In Virginia Wolfe's book, "Orlando" said to be about Vita, the heroine by pretending to be a man, is able to inherit her ancestral home.

While the house is now part of the National Trust, the garden and deer park still belong to the Sackville family.

The largest garden is the Wilderness Garden.  Thought it looks very tame to modern eyes, in the 17th century the idea was to have a 'wilderness" - a quiet place far removed from the bustle of the house.

You can see that this garden accomplishes that.

There are some nice wildflower meadows with orchids, ragged robin, scabious, and trefoil.

Did I mention the house is surrounded by a 1000 acre deer park?

While the estate lost 80% of its trees in the horrible wind-storm of 1987, you'd not know it looking on 25 years later.

What a wonderful place to explore the natural world.

There were chaffinches, wagtails, nuthatches, and thrushes.

Knole is the site of Kent's last medieval deer park.

There is a herd of over 500 fallow deer.

They certainly look different from the white-tailed deer I am used to seeing.

This fellow is supposed to be the King of them all.

I hope you enjoyed touring Knole with me today.