Knole access statement

This Access Statement has been updated to reflect the social distancing and hygiene measures at . These measures and the areas which are open are subject to last minute changes in line with government guidelines and available staff resources.

Details of what is open on any specific day can be found on our website, by calling the property on 01732 462100 or emailing [email protected]

Knole TN15 0RP (Sat Nav TN13 1HX)

T: 01732 462100 E: [email protected]

Page 1 of 6 Updated July 2021

Introduction • Knole is a large house set in a 1,000-acre near the town centre of Sevenoaks. • is open every day, free of charge for visitors using pedestrian gates. • All facilities at Knole will be open in line with opening hours, government guidelines and available staff resources. Details of what is open on any specific day can be found on our website, by calling the property on 01732 462100 or emailing [email protected]. • Parking is available for Blue Badge holders. • There is limited access to Knole House for wheelchair users and for people who have difficulty using stairs so please check the detailed access information for the showrooms. The Gatehouse Tower is currently closed. Knole staff are happy to answer any questions you may have to help you plan your visit in advance. • Assistance dogs are welcome throughout the property. All dogs are welcome in the parkland and courtyards. Dogs must be kept on leads at all times. • The Brewhouse Café and toilet facilities are accessible by a pathway on a gradient of 1:14 from the car park.

Advance Booking • Blue Badge Holders only: If you are a Blue Badge holder please show your Blue Badge at the gate box on arrival to park in the car park for free without booking. Members of your party in the same car do not need tickets unless they plan to visit the house. • Visitors, including members, should book tickets for everyone in their party in advance to guarantee entry. • The car park is for visitors with tickets only. Tickets are needed for everyone in the car to access the car park. Car parking spaces cannot be booked separately. • Members can book their tickets to Knole for free and these tickets give access to the car park for free. You can choose which parts of Knole you want to visit on the day. • Non-members are charged an additional £5 car parking charge by card when they arrive. • Your booking time slot is the time you plan to arrive at Knole. • The house is open from 11am – 4pm (last entry 3.30pm). Entry is via a queuing system (not timed tickets), simply join the queue outside when you wish to enter. • Booking slots are released each Friday for visits from Monday to Sunday the following week. Ticket sales close at 3pm the day before a visit.

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• On weekdays there may be some ticket availability on the day. To use the car park you need tickets (pre-booked or from the gatebox on the day) for everyone in your party. Pedestrians who want to visit the house can obtain tickets from the Visitor Centre. We recommend pre- booking your tickets to avoid disappointment.

Arrival & Parking Facilities • There are brown signs directing vehicles to Knole on Sevenoaks High Street in both directions. • The car park is approximately 145 metres from the main entrance on a gradient of 1:32. • There are 19 designated spaces for blue badge holders, 145 metres away from the Visitor Centre. • During our most busy periods car park attendants will be available for advice. • The pathway to the Visitor Centre is tarmacked and on a 1:32 gradient slope. • Manual wheelchairs are available to borrow. Please ask a member of staff on entry.

Visitor Centre

• The flooring is hardwood throughout and the walls are stone and plaster in all areas. • The entrance is clearly sign posted with even floors and a shallow ramp down on entry. • The door is 124 cm wide. • The reception desk height is 80cm. • There is a mixture of natural lighting and down lights. • Wheelchairs are stored near the Visitor Centre and available to borrow without pre- booking by asking a welcoming member of the Visitor Service team. • There is an induction loop in the Visitor Centre.

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Toilets

• There are two large accessible toilets on site, one located off the main entrance to the house and another located on the ground floor of the Conservation Studio opposite the Brewhouse café. • The Conservation Studio has an automatic entrance door. • Both accessible toilets are left hand transfer. • Baby changing facilities are available in both locations. • There are no adult changing facilities. • All the toilets have tiled floors and are lit with artificial light.

House

• Tickets are available from the Visitor Centre. • Entry to the house will be free flow but we are limiting the number of people in the house at any one time so please be prepared to queue outside. • The route to the house is across 73 metres of level paving through the two courtyards. • There is one step, with an accessible ramp, into the Great Hall entrance. • The Great Hall is the only area of the house that is accessible to wheelchair users • A rollator will be available soon. • An iPad is available in the Great Hall to view the rooms upstairs. • The Great Staircase provides access to the rest of the house, this has handrails on the left-hand side and wide access. • A portable induction loop is available if required, please ask a member of staff in the Visitor Centre. • The interior of the building is wood and stone with low light levels for conservation reasons. • All rooms are furnished with soft furnishings, e.g. carpets, rugs, curtains etc. • Most of the rooms have a seat but there are no seats with arm rests. • Volunteer Guides are available to answer questions and help in some of the rooms. • There are no toilets available in the house. • All interpretation panels in house are in large print. • Pushchairs cannot be taken into the house but can be left undercover at the entrance.

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Shop • Located off the main entrance in Green Court • The flooring is hardwood throughout • The shop can be entered via a wooden floor and 2 wooden steps (with handrail) • There is a mobility lift which allows access to the shop. Staff will assist with the lift. • The till desk height is 92cm. • There is a mixture of natural and artificial lighting. • The counter heights vary but staff are available to assist visitors. • There are no large print versions of the prices list, but staff are available to assist visitors • There is an induction loop in the shop.

Bookshop

• The bookshop can be entered via paving stones off Green Court (next to The Orangery, near the Visitor Centre) and has a level surface within. • There is a mobility lift which allows access to the Orangery. Staff will assist with the lift. • There are no large print versions of the price list, but staff are available to assist visitors. • An induction loop is available at the till point.

Royal Oak Foundation Conservation Studio

• Located in the Brewhouse Courtyard 112 metres from the car park. The Brewhouse Courtyard is located on a 1:14 decline from the car park. • Toilets, accessible toilets and baby change are located on the ground floor. • The building has three floors, the Conservation Lobby with toilets, the Conservation Store, the Conservation Studio. • A welcome desk is located on the ground floor and is 88cm high. • A lift is available to access all floors but is not an evacuation lift. • The Conservation Studio is open Wednesday to Saturday allowing visitors to watch conservators at work. • Within the studio there are interactive displays to encourage smell, sight and touch. • Lit by natural and down lighting throughout the building. • The Conservation Studio is wheelchair accessible. Mobility scooter on lobby area only. • An induction loop is available at reception and in the studio. • There is an automatic door into the Conservation Studio.

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Brewhouse Café

• The Brewhouse Courtyard is approximately 112 metres from the car park. Accessed by a hard-standing path on a 1:14 decline. • The surface in the Brewhouse Courtyard is gravel. • Toilets, accessible toilets and baby change are located in this courtyard. • Entrance to the café is through a manually operated door to the right-hand side • There is an automatic doorway out of the Brewhouse Café. • The surface is level throughout. • The Café has both tiled and hardwood flooring in places. • The counter is 90cm high with no lowered section. • An induction loop is available at the till points. • Menus are displayed on large chalk boards above the counter. An allergen menu is also available, please ask a member of staff. • There is currently limited seating open inside the Brewhouse café. There is seating on the first-floor outdoor roof terrace accessed via two short flights of stairs

Parkland

• Knole park is a 1,000 acre historic deer park and a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). manage 100 acres. Lord Sackville’s Knole Estate owns and manages the remainder and the deer herd. The parkland consists of rough undulating grass and ant hills. • There are a number of hard-standing paths in the parkland, but many cross a golf course so please discuss the best routes to follow with staff in the Visitor Centre. • An enclosed picnic area is located in the park next to the car park. It has decking flooring and a ramp suitable for wheelchair users. • Some hard-standing paths in parkland.

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