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Sevenoaks
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Set among the Greensand ridges of west Kent, 25 miles from London,
SEVENOAKS
lost all but one of the ageing oaks from which it derives its name in the storm that struck southern England in October 1987. With mere saplings having taken their place, the only real reason to come to the town is to visit the immense baronial estate of
Knole
(April-Oct Wed-Sat noon-4pm, Sun 11am-5pm; A?5; NT), accessible from the south end of Sevenoaks High Street. Knole House was transformed into a palace in 1456 by Archbishop Thomas Bourchier, for himself and succeeding archbishops of Canterbury. Designed to numerically match the calendar with 7 courtyards, 52 staircases and 365 rooms, it was appropriated by Henry VIII, who lavished further expense on it and hunted in the thousand acres of parkland, still home to several hundred deer. Elizabeth I passed the estate on to her cousin, Thomas Sackville, and it has remained in the family's hands ever since. Vita Sackville-West was born here, and her one-time lover Virginia Woolf derived inspiration for her novel
Orlando
from her frequent visits to the house. Only thirteen rooms are open to the public, featuring an array of fine, if well-worn, furnishings and tapestries. Paintings by Gainsborough and Van Dyck are on display, as are Reynolds' depictions of George III and of Queen Charlotte - between them hangs a painting of their strutting, dandified progeny, George IV, one of the fifteen children she bore the king.
Sevenoaks' train station is fifteen minutes' walk north of the town centre on the London Road. The bus station is in Buckhurst Lane, off the High Street. The tourist office is in the library building, just opposite the bus station (April-Sept Mon-Sat 9.30am-5pm; Oct-March Mon-Fri 9.30am-5pm, Sat 9.30am-4.30pm; tel 01732/450305, ). Reasonable accommodation options include the spacious family room at Burley Lodge , Rockdale Rd (tel 01732/455761; under A?40), close to the entrance to Knole, or you can have a timber-clad cottage to yourself at 4 Old Timber Top Cottages , Bethel Rd (tel 01732/460506, anthony@ruddassociates.ndo.co.uk ; A?50-60). The nearest youth hostel is in Kemsing, four miles northeast of Sevenoaks, and a two-mile hike from Kemsing station (tel 01732/761341). Alternatively, take bus #425/6 or #433 from Sevenoaks to Kemsing post office, which is close by - note that no public transport runs to Kemsing on Sundays.
For truly delicious
food
, you need to go to the
Sycamore
restaurant at the
Royal Oak Hotel
on Upper High Street just beyond the entrance to Knole Park, which offers a two-course lunch for over A?10 - in the evening, one main dish will cost you more than that. For less expensive evening meals, you should head for the bistro (in other words the bar). Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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United Kingdom,
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