Arrived safely and spent the afternoon at Knole HouseMay 9, 2013
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The Main Entry to Knole House, used as a summer palace by...
A view of Knole House from its inner courtyard
Another view of the formidable entry to Knole House
Arrived safely just before noon. It was bright and sunny when we landed but was raining by the time I claimed my bag! Hey, this is England! We spent the afternoon touring Knole House, a summer palace of Henry VIII. Henry acquired the palace from his Archbishop of Canterbury when he let the archbishop know how much he liked it. Henry seemed to acquire a lot of properties this way!
There were a lot of royal and noble portrait paintings including some by the famous artist Hans Holbein the Younger. One was a portrait of a beautiful young woman with the iconic red hair of the Stuart line wearing a tunic that looked very much like one a man would wear under a breastplate. Apparently the English Heritage Folks weren't sure who it was but there was speculation it was a young Mary Queen of Scots. She looked every inch the warrior queen. Perhaps Elizabeth's counselors were right to convince Elizabeth to execute her!
Furnishings included a lavishly gilded bed used by Queen Elizabeth I, another used by King James II and a very early billiards table. I'm afraid photography was not permitted so I don't have any pictures though.
I do have some of the Tudor-era architecture however as well as some closeups of the intricately carved wood door panels but will upload them tomorrow. I've got to get to sleep because we have to catch the ferry to France at 6 a.m. Onward to Napoleon's palace Fontainebleau!
