Things to do at Knole this summer

Here comes summer … and we’re ready with open arms to greet it. Find out what’s happening at Knole during this warmest of seasons, from workshops and family events to discovering more about the conservation work carried out in the showrooms, plus our free Knole Sunday Shuttle Bus service running on school holiday Sundays.

Knole's free school holiday Sunday shuttle bus service

What better time to announce our FREE bus service between Sevenoaks Station and Knole this summer every Sunday from 28 July - 1 September, stopping along the way at the bus station and new Sevenoaks Town Centre car park. The Knole Shuttle bus service will run on school holiday Sundays, easing the pressure on the National Trust car park, reducing the impact of Knole’s busiest days on local roads, and decreasing the amount of vehicle emissions in the park. Visit our shuttle bus web page to find out more, or find out how to avoid congestion on other days.

Visit the Showrooms, Attics & Gatehouse Tower

Following our enormous ‘Inspired by Knole’ conservation project, there are more spaces than ever to visit at Knole. For the first time in three years visitors can once again view all 15 of the newly-conserved historic showrooms in their entirety, plus the Gatehouse Tower. Book onto one of our attic tours to see a different side to Knole and discover these domestic spaces, whose history is literally written on the walls.

The showrooms are open Sat 2 Mar-Sun 3 Nov, Tue-Sun, 11am-5pm (last entry 4.30pm). The Gatehouse Tower and attic tours are available all year round.

Conservation Week (Tue 4 – Sun 9 June)

Conservation is an ongoing priority at Knole – with a house of this size there is always something to keep our House & Collection team busy, and this special week offers visitors a great opportunity to find out how the team cares for this grand, sprawling site. Please note that the showrooms are not open on Mondays and will close a little earlier at 3.30pm this week while the team carry out essential waxing on the floors.

Take the opportunity to watch Zenzie Tinker and her team at work as they refix the green caffoy (woollen velvet wall covering) in the King’s Closet, the last of the rooms to be restored by the 'Inspired by Knole' project, and available to view for the first time this year. Throughout the week, members of our house and conservation team will be working in the showrooms and Gatehouse Tower book cleaning, waxing metal work and condition checking. The Conservation Studio will also be open this week, where you can meet our experts who will share their work, passion, decision making and sometimes frustration whilst working up close on a piece.

Enjoy the peace & quiet

Knole is increasingly busy at weekends and bank holidays, so if it’s space and a bit of peace you’re after, then weekdays are the best time to plan your visit.

The showrooms, Gatehouse Tower and attics are perfect places to escape from the heat, and the cool courtyards and Orangery offer the chance to sit and reflect. When you visit the showrooms, plug into our fascinating, free multimedia guide for a glimpse into the recently completed conservation project or, to see a different side to Knoke, book onto an attic tours (available Wed, Fri & Sat every week). The showrooms and Gatehouse Tower are open 11am - 5pm, Tue - Sun.

Beastly bugs trail (Sat 25 May - Sun 9 June)

Pick up our beastly bugs trail when you visit the showrooms and see if you can spot the replica bugs hidden amongst Knole's renowned collection of paintings, silver and furniture.  Have fun hunting for the hidden bugs and learn about the pests that affect Knole's collection on our beastly bugs trail in the showrooms.  Available Tuesday to Sunday (showrooms closed Mondays). Suitable for ages 2-7 years.

Cream tea celebration (Mon 24-Fri 28 June)

The words 'National Trust' and 'scone' go hand in hand, so to celebrate National Cream Tea Day on Fri 28 June, we will be offering jam tastings in the Knole shop and special scones throughout the week in the Brewhouse Cafe.

Fawns Walk (Sat 22 & 29 June)

Join our park walk team on this short walk to look out for new additions to the deer herds. The fawns will have been born from mid-June onwards, and we'll take you to the places you are most likely to catch a glimpse. Suggested donation of £2.

Find out more: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/events/93620e33-8789-41b7-913e-de5cb88bed12/pages/details

Family Mondays

Our popular Family Mondays events continue in Green Court throughout the summer this year - costing just £2 per child, they're a fun way to spend the holidays. Suitable for ages 5-11.

• Mon 29 July: Archaeology. Celebrate Archaeology Week by having a look at some of the artefacts found by Knole archaeology volunteers, make a fossil to take home, and design a paper mosaic.
• Mon 5 August: Caterpillars and Butterflies. Fold a multi coloured paper caterpillar and design a butterfly bookmark to take home.
• Mon 12 August: Trees and Plants. Stick flowers and leaves to a spiralling decoration and make a tissue paper tree to take home.
• Mon 19 August: Sunshine and Rainbows. Paint a pebble with rainbow colours and make a sunshine decoration with rainbow streamers to take home.