Knole

History of Knole House:

Knole, one of the largest private houses in England, was built by Thomas Bourchier when Archbishop of Canterbury in 1454.  It was used as a retreat by various bishops until Archbishop Cranmer gave the house to Henry VIII in 1538.  It then passed to his daughter, Queen Elizabeth I, who granted it to Thomas Sackville, 1 Earl of Dorset in 1603. Knole is sometimes referred to as a calendar house, having 365 rooms, 52 stairs and 7 courtyards.  Built of Kentish ragstone, it is names after the top of the hill, or ‘knoll’ on which it stands.

Nestled in a medieval deer-park, Knole is vast, complex and full of hidden treasures.  Originally an Archbishop’s palace, the house passed through the royal hands of those such as King Henry VIII, to the Sackville family – Knole’s inhabitants from 1603 to today.  Inside the show rooms, art lovers will find Reynolds, Gainsborough and Van Dyck to admire.  Textiles enthusiasts can marvel at the 17th-century tapestries and furniture that make the collection internationally significant.

When the house system changed in our school, Knole was one of the original houses formed.  We have always been an enthusiastic house and always will be.  Each year, our Year 7’s visit Knole house. It is certain that every member of the house will remember this trip forever.

House Colour: Blue

The special reason behind our house colour:

The colour of ocean and sky, blue is perceived as something that has a deeper meaning to it. This colour is one of trust, honesty and loyalty which, describes us perfectly. Blue represents the calmness and intellectuality and a deer is considered to be extremely noble which shows the strong relationship between the two.

House Motto

House motto:
Knole one can bring us down

House Mascot: Bambi

While Bambi is born as an awkward young fawn, his mother teaches him the expectations and responsibilities of deer’s within the forest. Through his early childhood experiences with woodland pals Thumper the rabbit and Flower the skunk, the traumatic sudden death of Bambi's mother at the hands of hunters, his courtship of the lovely doe Faline, and his rescue of his friends during a raging forest fire; we last see the mature, antlered Bambi assuming his proper place as the Prince of the Forest.

Having deer at the Knole house, we decided that choosing Bambi as our house mascot was very appropriate. Though the story has a few tragic moments, the protagonist manages to overcome his fears and lives up to the expectations set out for him by his parents by persevering and believing in his ability. The house team has considered these skills to be highly relatable to the ethos at the Knole house.

Year 7 House Visit

We started of our trip with some lunch as we were all very hungry. After we had finished our meals Miss Oldham allowed us to take a look around the area we were in. We saw big tree trunks that had been made into chairs of some sort and some wooden animals. One of the wooden animals was a bear however I am not certain this is what it was. The other animal was a hedgehog and lastly a deer. Speaking of deer, we spotted a group of them nearby and decided to take a look. They were very beautiful and so elegant. One of the deer was much darker than the others which is why she was my favourite.

 Soon after, a member of staff arrived to accompany us to a room where two lovely women explained what it was like getting dressed in tudor times. It is much easier to get dressed now than it was back then. For women they would need to wear a kirtle, about twelve layers of farthingale, corset, bodice of gown, a gown and lastly a headdress. The people living as servants would not be able to get help getting dressed so they would have string on the outside of the gown so that they could tie it themselves. The clothing was so excessive that help was usually needed whereas nowadays people do not need help no matter their wealth. 

After we learnt about all the clothing we were allowed to try on some Tudor outfits. Eventually everyone was dressed up...even Miss Oldham. We made our way into the courtyard to take some photos which I am sure you have seen already. 

Once we were back in our uniform it was time to explore. A man escorted us inside and took us to the dining hall. There were paintings of various people all over the walls. Thomas Sackville, the owner of Knole in that time period, was among the magnificent paintings. Did you know that Knole consists of 365 rooms therefore it was named 'the calendar house’?

While exploring Knole house we came across the grand staircase, Lady Betty's china, the Spangle bedroom and many more!

Before long, it was time to go home and we all said goodbye to the deer for the last time and made our way out.

Imani 7K