Knole and the Sackvilles

Spanning more than three centuries, this richly detailed portrait follows the rise of a grand English country house and the families that shaped its destiny. Beginning with the 15th‑century acquisition by Archbishop Bourchier, the narrative weaves together royal grants, diplomatic missions, and the personal ambitions of the Sackvilles who would become dukes, earls, and key court figures. Along the way, listeners encounter vivid moments—from daring ambassadorships in France to the tumult of civil war—each anchored by the ever‑present stone walls of Knole.

The book balances meticulous genealogical tables with lively anecdotes, offering a sense of how politics, marriage, and patronage intertwined with everyday life on the estate. It paints the garden’s evolution, the art that adorned its rooms, and the shifting fortunes of its owners as England moved from Tudor splendour to Georgian stability. By the close of the early eighteenth century, the story leaves the listener eager to hear how later generations would carry the legacy forward.