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.
Please note that from Monday 3 November 2025, half of the showrooms will be closed to allow the Collections and House team to start cleaning and conservation work. The following rooms remain open to visitors: Great Hall, Painted Stairs, Ballroom, Reynolds Room, Cartoon Gallery and King's Room. The showrooms ticket price has been reduced to reflect this.
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.
Scroll to see a selection of the historic showrooms at Knole
A view of the Great Hall at Knole in Kent looking towards the ornately carved wooden screen.
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.
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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 shows 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.
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.
Discover more about former resident Eddy Sackville-West, who made his home in the Gatehouse Tower at Knole.
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. Find out more about the history of the spaces as well as witchmarks and unusual items that have been discovered.
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 houses and buildings are full 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.
