Knole House

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Knolle

In the civil parish of Sevenoaks. In the historic county of Kent (Modern Authority of Medway, 1974 county of Kent).

The origins of this enormous, Kentish ragstone house are obscure, but it is believed that an estate has been in existence here since at least C12. However, it is known that, in 1456, Thomas Bourchier (Archbishop of Canterbury) bought Knole for little more than £266, and set about transforming this fortress-like building into a home 'fit for the Princes of the Church'. For the next 30 years, until his death, he employed his great skills to expand and restore this imposing country house. Knole saw four more Archbishops before Henry VIII took possession of it, enlarging it to a standard befitting a Royal Palace (and at considerable cost), but never actually spending much time there.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TQ53955420

Air Photo from Air Photo and general mapping	1st edition OS Map from Mid to late 19th century maps
Modern Map from Landscape form and features	Modern Map from General location and route planning
Geograph British Isles occasionally has photos of the site and will usually give an idea of the surrounding landscape.

Sources of information, references and further reading

This site's English Heritage (PastScape) Defra or Monument number is 409840
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is TQ 55 SW 2 'grey' literature, such as watching brief reports, held by H.E.R.s is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded in this website.

• Web site links
  • http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-knole.htm
    http://www.pinelodgetouringpark.co.uk/tourism/knole/
    http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_south/188/knole.html
• Books
  • Emery, Anthony, 2006, Greater Medieval Houses Vol3 (Cambridge) p320-25, 364-8
    Thompson, M.W., 1998, Medieval bishops' houses in England and Wales (Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing) p171
    Thurley, Simon, 1993, The Royal Palaces of Tudor England (Yale University Press) p50
    James, T.B., 1990, The Palaces of Medieval England (London; Seaby)
    Newman, John, 1980, The Buildings of England: West Kent and the Weald p356-63
    Sackville-West, V., 1922 [rev edn 1947], Knole and the Sackvilles
    Phillips, C.J., 1929, The History of the Sackville Family
    Tipping, H.A., 1929, English Homes, period 3 Vol1 (London) p222-68
    Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol1 (London) p308-10
    Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol3 pt2 p305-6
    Hasted, Edward, 1801, The history and topographical survey of the county of Kent Vol12 p524-5 http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=63707
    Hasted, Edward, 1797 (2edn), A History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent Vol3 p60- http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=62844
• Journal Articles
  • 1975, Archaeologia Cantiana Vol91 p1-14
    Du Boulay, F.R.H., 1974, Archaeologia Cantiana Vol89 p169-82
    Faulkner, P.A., 1970, 'Some medieval archiepiscopal palaces' Archaeological Journal Vol127 p130-46
    1874, Archaeologia Cantiana Vol9
    Country Life Vol63 p134, 197
    Country Life Vol31 p772, 826, 862
• Guidebooks
  • Sackville-West, V., 1923, Knole
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/kenteng.html#kent8]
• Other sources, 'grey' literature, unpublished works, etc. (Theses, in-house reports and other such)
  • Payne, Naomi, 2003, The medieval residences of the bishops of Bath and Wells, and Salisbury (PhD Thesis University of Bristol) Appendix B: List of Medieval Bishop's Palaces in England and Wales [available via http://ethos.bl.uk ]