Knole

Once upon a time there was a vast deer park with a house dating back to the 15th century. Then Queen Elizabeth I gave it to the Sackville family in 1603, the year of her death. They built an enormous mansion there at the start of the Jacobean period that followed Elizabeth's reign.

The Sackville family still lives in part of the house, though it is now a National trust property, which means that plebs like me get to visit.




Vincent Connection:
The writer Vita Sackville-West was a descendent of the Sackville family. She is famous for the garden she created at Sissinghurst Castle, and for her garden writings. She was great friends with Virginia Woolf, who wrote the novel Orlando, which was made into a film starring Tilda Swinton, who starred with Vincent in Thumbsucker.