National Trust - Knole — Attraction in Sevenoaks

We have recently visited Knole twice, the first time a couple of weeks ago walking around the park, and today revisited to explore the house. The property gets 5 Stars, this review is of our experience.

We have been NT members for over ten years and thought it might be helpful to pass on our experience to others. The house and gardens are a marvel of architecture and history, and we very much enjoyed immersing ourselves in both. However, today upon visiting the house we interacted with six members of staff, one of which was cheerful and polite. Unfortunately the others came across rather rude, condescending, and in some cases passive aggressive.

The interactions were as follows:

We had pre-booked to view inside the house, upon arrival we went to reception and met by two members of staff, one lady gave us two tickets, my husband explained that we had been sent an email and showed her the barcode voucher. Before he could finish his sentence she rudely interrupted that the tickets overrode that, in a rather hostile manner. You let things like this go, until..

We arrived outside the first hall, a member of staff was away from the entrance chatting with someone else, and we began to proceed towards the entrance, presumably realising that someone might be entering the house without ticket, he shouted loudly "Hey there - have you got a ticket??"

We arrived in the first room which has a beautiful carved oak wall, which I gently touched to be met with a loud "DON'T TOUCH THE WALL!" echoing around the hall in front of everyone. I really did not appreciate being spoken to like a child, and this made me feel embarrassed and stupid. I appreciate the reasons why, but there is no excuse to talk to another person in an unprofessional manner. There were no signs saying please do not touch (like in other areas), neither any ropes cordening the area off. A few moments later my husband enquired who the persons were in the paintings, and she just pointed to the information leaflet. I spent the rest of the tour of the house with my arms folded almost frightened to breath.

A little later we decided to visit the cafe, a young man standing outside boomed "Are you coming in here?" I responded that we had hoped to have a cup of tea, and he replied negatively because they were too busy.

We fully appreciate many of these staff may be volunteers and also that the property is extremely popular, but sadly these attitudes are the overriding memory of our visit to the house today.

Visiting many other locations with the National Trust we have usually been met with polite and enthusiastic staff with a seemingly shared interest in history, presumably fellow members of the Trust in which we all contribute. Knole is breathtakingly beautiful, and the history fascinating. We purchased books fro the bookshop to learn more, and visited Sissinghurst Castle because of the connection. Sadly though this is the worst experience we have had with its toxic culture. We shall visit again but confine it to the park.

The trouble is popular places don't always feel the need to be polite because it will always be busy. The places that struggle are...

Quick Takeaways

🏰 Vast and impressive National Trust estate — best enjoyed on a fine weather day

🦌 Scenic walk to the entrance with freely roaming deer (great photo opportunities)

🗝️ Attic tour is a must for hidden history; tower climb offers 360° views (though not as dramatic as Petworth)

🚶 Estate’s true beauty revealed by walking the grounds — allow plenty of time

🏛️ House is well preserved, full of artefacts and information; knowledgeable volunteers enhance the visit

☕ Café was a let-down: busy, not enough seating, limited food options, and inconsistent with other NT properties

⏱️ At least a half-day visit — wear sensible clothes and sturdy walking shoes

Full Review

Knole Estate, managed by the National Trust, is an impressive and vast sight to behold. Like many National Trust properties, the weather plays a big part in shaping the experience — this is one venue where you’ll want to go on a nice day to really make the most of your visit.

Parking is straightforward, and the walk to the entrance is made special by the casually grazing deer scattered around the estate. Their sheer number makes for a memorable arrival and some excellent photo opportunities.

To get the most out of the house, the attic tour is a must — it gives a fascinating look into the inner workings and history of the building. Climbing the tower provides a full 360° view of the estate. The vista is pleasant, though not quite as dramatic as Petworth. To truly appreciate Knole in all its glory, you need to explore the wider estate on foot — that’s when its real beauty emerges.

The house itself is well preserved and packed with remarkable rooms, artefacts, and detailed information. As is often the case with the National Trust, the volunteers were friendly, knowledgeable, and added real value to the experience.

The only real disappointment was the café. It was busy, with not enough seating, a lack of cleanliness, and a limited food selection. The range of snacks seems to vary from property to property, which can make the offer feel inconsistent.

To take it all in properly, you’ll need at least half a day. Be sure to wear sensible clothing and sturdy walking shoes if you plan to explore the...

I feel pretty bad giving it three stars because if it was for the park alone it would have 5!!!!

I have visited Knole Park a number of times. The park itself is absolutely lovely and I could walk round it for hours. However, the last five visits to the Coffee house have been less than satisfactory. On three of those occasions when I've asked for the drinks to be extra hot they've been lukewarm, which has meant taking them back and having to get them made again. Another visit the coffee was made and was sat at the machine for 10 minutes whilst they made other people's drink who were behind me in the queue and then I had to ask if I was getting my drink to which I was answered back rudely.

And on another occasion a similar situation I was second in the queue, my order had been taken and I'd paid, and the staff made other people's drinks before mine.

Its not a case of the easiest drink should be made first, it should be drinks should be made in the order of the customer.

The cafe is meant to open at 10am and numerous times they haven't opened the gates until 10:05am or 10:10am . I have witnessed many other visitors whilst I've been at the gate getting frustrated by this

There doesn't appear to ever be any management around to speak to about these issues and its almost getting to the point that you don't want to go in the cafe - it used to be so nice in there and staff were on the ball but now they seem to be all...