By greats, I mean the Great Hall, the Great Screen and the Great Staircase and to be honest they’re very well named.
Knole, which is close to Sevenoaks and was our stop off on the way to our cabin for our escape weekend close to home, is a former Archbishops’ Palace. The Great Hall would have been right at the heart of it and where the whole household would eat together. For me the floor was a fantastic part of the space, but there was much more to it than that.
The carved oak screen dates to the early 1600s and is decorated with leopards and other symbols of the Sackville family.
But the ceiling can’t go unmentioned - isn’t it fabulous?
The staircase, unlike the hall, was only for members of the family, distinguished guests and high ranking sevants.
The paintings though - they really should be named as greats too. They depict the Four Ages of Man, the Five Senses and the Seven Virtues, though one virtue - temperance - is missing.
The sculpture is Giovanna Zanerini, a celebrated Italian ballerina and mistress of the 3rd Duke of Sackville. She was known by her stage name - La Baccelli and lived at Knole, and she remains there today.
There’s much more to see at Knole, and considering it’s only about thirty minutes from home I can’t believe this was our first - but certainly not our last - visit. It’s definitely worth a look if you’re close by.
