| More information : (TQ 5387 5427) In August 2011, casual field observation identified the low earthwork remains of a formal rectangular garden compartment or bowling greens in front of the north-west frontage of Knole House. Conceivably of Henrician origin, if the front court of the house was built at his instruction, but more probably contemporary with the redesign of the building in the early 17th century. The earthworks comprise a slightly raised walk spanning the whole frontage of the house and, perpendicular to this, a slightly embanked carriageway, leading for c60m from the house's central gateway. Thereafter, the embanked carriageway turns sharply to head due west and becomes a more prominent earthwork up to 0.4m high as it approaches the edge of the dry valley to the west of the house. At that point, in order to descend the valley side, it becomes a broad terraced way still followed by a footpath. On either side of the axial section of the carriageway closest to the house, and also extending across the full frontage of the house and up to c60m in front of it, the limts of two levelled garden compartments can be traced. That on the south has been been considerably built up in order to produce a level surface and the south-western corner is consequently defined by a scarp up to 1m high. By analogy with, for example, Nonsuch, and given that there is no clear evidence that deer were excluded from the compartment thus defined, the level platform may have been the site of bowling greens rather than formal gardens. Due to the sandy soil, some of the earthworks are suffering from rabbit damage, while the visitor car park has probably encroached onto part of the northern side. A veteran pollarded sycamore near the middle of the rectangular area could conceivably be contemporary with the earthworks. (1) |