Knebworth House

About

Set in 250 acres of beautiful rolling Hertfordshire countryside with 28 acres of Formal Gardens, Knebworth House has been home to the Lytton family for over 19 generations, making for an extraordinary walk through 500 years of local and British history. Stories and heirlooms reflect the family’s contribution to literature, politics, and Foreign Service. Visits from people as diverse as Charles Dickens, Winston Churchill and Queen Elizabeth I have also added to Knebworth’s rich heritage.
The romantic exterior of Knebworth House with its turrets, domes and gargoyles silhouetted against the sky does little to prepare the visitor for what to expect inside. The House has stood for many years longer than the Victorian decoration suggests; the stucco hides from view a red brick house dating back to the Tudor times.

Knebworth House first achieved fame in Victorian times as the home of the novelist, playwright and politician Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton; author of the words “it was a dark and stormy night” and “the pen is mightier than the sword”. Other notable family members include Lady Constance Lytton, Hertfordshire’s own Suffragette and the Edwardian architect Sir Edwin Lutyens, who married into the Lytton family.
There have been gardens at Knebworth House since at least the 17th Century, but the present layout dates largely from the Edwardian era. The architect Sir Edwin Lutyens, simplified the ornate beds and statuary of the Victorian garden with lawns and avenues of pollarded lime trees. The Herb Garden was recreated in 1982 from Gertrude Jekyll’s 1907 design. Each generation has enhanced the gardens and the recent wood carvings are particularly interesting. The Gardens at Knebworth are delightful throughout the season. The 28 acre formal gardens include a maze, colourful borders, fine trees and a wilderness area with an exciting Dinosaur Trail.

In more recent history Knebworth has been named 'The Stately Home of Rock'. The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Queen, Oasis and Robbie Williams as well as over 100 other major artists have played Knebworth Festivals since 1974 to over two million fans. Knebworth House has also made appearances on the big screen, from major feature films, commercials, music videos and still shoots, with highlights including Batman and The Crown. A newly refurbished Exhibition Space showcasing the concert and film location history is now open for visitors to enjoy. This new exhibition tells some of the stories that make Knebworth House so unique!

This historic Knebworth Deer Park covers over 250 acres, and has been home to grazing herds of Red and Sika Deer that have been at Knebworth for even longer than the Lytton family. The Park is a perfect setting for families to enjoy a country picnic, ball games and walks during the open season. The Adventure Playground within Knebworth Park offers a fun-filled day of enjoyment: enjoy the astro and drop slides, play on the swings and slides at Fort Knebworth, whizz down the zip wire, try the interactive water play, and scale the new climbing equipment. Younger visitors will particularly enjoy the Wilderness area within Knebworth Gardens with its Willow House, bird-song sound box and garden sculptures as well as the new brand new Bug Hotel and Giants Chair. The Dinosaur Trail in the Wilderness Garden is very popular with younger visitors. The 72 life-sized dinosaurs and pre-historic creatures can be found grazing amongst the shrubbery. Exploring the woodland paths, children can learn about the T-Rex, the Woolly Mammoth and other fascinating pre-historic creatures. There are information boards throughout the Dinosaur Trail and a huge chalk board for creating your own ‘cave-man drawings’.
Knebworth House, Park & Gardens is open weekends, bank holidays and for the school holiday breaks between March and September.