Knole House in Sevenoaks, Kent, The 15th Century house was formerly an Archbishop's palace and for 400 years was the home of the Sackville family.
In 1456 Thomas Bourchier, Archbishop of Canterbury, purchased the 12th century estate of Knole from Lord Saye and Bourchier's influence an older medieval manor was transformed into a house that probably resembles an Oxford college more than it does a typical stately situation on top of a low hill, or knoll, gave the house its name. It was perhaps the location, half hidden from view on its tree-covered hill, that drew the eye of Henry VIII. Henry dropped a broad hint to his own Archbishop, Thomas Cranmer, that he could quite happily live at Knole. Cranmer, being no fool, and rather desirous of keeping his head on his shoulders, promptly made a gift of Knole to the covetous king. He may have lost his estate, but he kept his head, though he only survived long enough to be burned at the stake by Henry's daughter Mary. Knole remained in royal hands until in 1566 Elizabeth I leased it to her cousin, Thomas Sackville. In 1603 Sackville purchased the freehold outright, and the story of Knole and the Sackville families has been intertwined since that date.
Size: 5760px × 3840px
Location: Knole House, Sevenoaks, United Kingdom
Photo credit: © Jeff Gilbert / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: court, family, green, house, kent, knole, sackville, sevenoaks, thomas
