Knebworth House, Herts.

Private
Knebworth House is famous for the rock concerts held in its park, and, by the more discerning, as the home of Victorian novelist Edward Bulwer Lytton – author of the words “The pen is mightier than the sword”. The house is mainly a Victorian Gothic creation, but a Tudor house was on the site before drastic remodelling in the 19th century. A liberal array of fancy domes and turrets are vividly contrasted with carved bats, griffins and grotesque gargoyles. Charles Dickens and Winston Churchill often visited the house.
Today’s visitor can see the Banqueting Hall, with its varied 17th century influences and craftsmanship, and other rooms of interest. There are two rooms entirely dedicated to the life and works of Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton, with several personal knick knacks and mementoes highlighting his colourful character. The state drawing room is distinctly Victorian-Gothic, but other areas, including the dining parlour, are typical of the Edwardian re-styling adopted by Lutyens.
Outside there are 25 acres of gardens, including a walled kitchen garden and a dinosaur trail, and the church, as well as the park famed for its rock concerts. Scattered around the gardens are various large and small sculptures, mainly in wood.
Worth a visit, and you can divert yourself for at least half a day as there is plenty to look at. In my ill-spent youth I lived nearby and attended several rock concerts in the park.
It is worth visiting the exhibition in the couryard, which has memorabilia of the numerous movies filmed in the house and grounds, the rock concerts held in the park, and the family connections with Imperial India.
First visit 2005. All photos 2024.