Hidden above the grandeur of the showrooms lie Knole's attics - sometimes inhabited but more often used for storage, these spaces have evolved over the centuries with each generation.
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.
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
Humans have always been storytellers, leaving a mark wherever we go to provide messages that transcend time. Historic buildings often provide the perfect vessels for these snapshots in time, allowing centuries of messages, names, and drawings to remain hidden in plain sight. Knole is no exception: beyond the grandeur of the Jacobean style showrooms lie a hidden side to an archbishop’s palace turned family home. Graffiti provides a window into the past through the eyes of the people who made it. The attics present an unusual space, which offer an insight into the changing use of spaces, one only opened to the public through a tour.
Marks left within the fabric of the building show how life was very different for people living during the early 1600s, when Knole was bought by Thomas Sackville. People viewed the world differently as well as their place within it; we can see aspects of this through the marks left within buildings. A fear of witchcraft and evil spirits was rife and provided a direct link with the societal upheaval and troubles causing people to find fault and blame in the supernatural. To alleviate those fears, the practice of carving intersecting lines and symbols was used to create what was believed to be a ‘demon trap’, warding off evil spirits and preventing demonic possessions.
King James I was particularly interested in the supernatural, and this was heavily considered in the decoration of the King's Room. Thomas Sackville, while re-designing Knole was optimistic of a royal visit, with the foiled Gunpowder plot of 1605 there would likely have been a heightened awareness of the importance of protection from evil spirits. The Upper King’s room features numerous marks which lay hidden for centuries and include net and mesh designs. Evil spirits were believed to access rooms via windows, doors, and fireplaces, travelling through air. While you can shut windows and doors, with fireplaces it was not so simple, possibly explaining the focus of ritual protection marks surrounding fireplaces. What makes the Upper King’s Room unusual is the frequency of these marks and how often they appear in such close proximity. The vast amount of protection marks in this space is a direct result of the important visitor expected to stay.
Fast forward to the 20th century and the marks left by Knole’s inhabitants have changed. These marks remain a way to peel back the layers of history, with some layers of whitewash being removed to reveal pieces dating back to the late 1800s. Other visible bits of graffiti have followed and give us an idea of what life was like for those living and working at Knole in the 19th and 20th centuries. Some notes left by contractors provide interesting insight into what it takes to maintain such a vast building, from a note left by those who fitted a gas pipe as part of temporary works carried out in 1895 ahead of ‘The Hunt Ball’ to the ‘Snow Wall’. The latter is so called as it immortalises the most notable snow falls and the names of those who carried out clearing across the seven acres of roof.
Sometimes people just wanted to leave their mark, for no obvious reason other than fun! Two ‘portraits’ in particular speak to this, one of a lady signed with the name E. Knight - whether a self-portrait or just a doodle it gives us a small insight into her world. The other is in the Upper King’s Room and is of a man smoking a pipe, which in itself sets it in its time and is a nice little reminder of the people inhabiting Knole.
From a high-status gallery, storage spaces and areas in which staff enjoyed leaving their mark, the galleries in the attics have seen vast changes over time, making them a very different space from the finely furnished showrooms below. The latter presents a snapshot in time, while the attics offer a window into the lives of the people who have called Knole home for centuries.
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.
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.
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.
A series of witchmarks, believed to ward off evil spirits, were discovered in a room built to accommodate James I at Knole following the Gunpowder Plot in 1605.
Knole was built to impress. Come and explore the grandeur of its showrooms, the hidden secrets of the attics and the rooms Eddy Sackville-West called home in the Gatehouse Tower.
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.
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.
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.
