Here's the latest on our travels abroad!
Knole
After arriving at London Gatwick in chilly conditions, we were chauffeured by gracious host Tim Alcock from the airport to their home in Esher, Surrey. Andrew and I took a bit of a nap to reset, and then it was time to venture out and see "the real England."
Cindy
had selected Knole, a 15th century manor not far from their home and part of
the National Trust - an organization that preserves historic properties. We drove to the adjacent town and parked,
then hiked across a meadow to reach the estate. By then the weather had
warmed up quite a bit and we were comfortable in shirt sleeves. There were advisories to avoid
the deer on the property and it was soon obvious why this was important - there
were literally herds of deer, many running at full speed and others trying to
rub off the "velvet" from their horns on any available tree.
It
looked like a castle to me, but technically it is a house, though it has 7
courtyards, 52 staircases, and 365 rooms! Henry VIII owned Knole at one
time but he apparently spent little time there. Elizabeth I gave Knole to
her cousin Thomas Sackville and it has remained in that family ever since.
Not all rooms are open to the public and members of the family still live in the
private apartments.
There were several galleries filled with paintings (including some by Gainsborough and Van Dyck), as well as many examples of 16th and 17th century furniture, fabric, and china.
One
of the bedrooms, the Ambassador's Room contained what is said to be a bed
belonging to Charles II, hidden during England's civil war and eventually
arriving at Knole. At the end of the self-guided tour was the King's Room
- impressive with its silver dressing table and stool, and immense bed,
upholstered with silver and gold thread.
After we finished the tour, we walked to what was originally the house kitchens and the boys had a treat - some ice cream!