Knole House

I have lived in this part of Kent for over 20 years but have never visited the inside of Knole House which was featured in an interesting TV programme over Christmas.  Being winter only a few bits of the house were open but enough to spend an interesting couple of hours exploring the Gate Tower (view of the clock tower from the top), the Orangery (with the splendid wood burning stove in the thumbnail), the courtyards  with their very old lead drain pipes showing the date 1605 and a brisk walk around the outside of the closed 5 acre garden ( misty picture of outside wall). Then lunch in the cafe and a shot of a deer peering at the car on the way out.  It's the largest house owned by the National Trust. We learned lots about the Sackville-Wests - Vita was brought up here but was not allowed to inherit it being a girl and it passed to her cousin.