Knebworth House

Knebworth House stands in the Hertfordshire countryside as a Grade II* listed English country house. Its red-brick Tudor Gothic structure, remodelled in the 19th century by John Biagio Rebecca and Henry Edward Kendall Jr., replaced a Late Gothic manor built round an open central court. The surrounding park contains the medieval St Mary’s Church and the Lytton family mausoleum, both Grade II* listed. The house has been home to the Lytton family since 1490, and later to the Cobbold family. Its grounds also feature an adventure playground and a dinosaur park. The house is famous for its cultural role. Edward Bulwer-Lytton, the Victorian author and statesman, embellished the gardens in a formal Italianate style. Gertrude Jekyll designed a herb garden in 1907, planted in 1982. The 3rd Baron Cobbold, a former film producer in Los Angeles, now hosts productions on location. The Knebworth Festival, begun in 1974, has drawn audiences of up to 120,000 for concerts by Pink Floyd, the Rolling Stones, Queen and many others. Visitors walk through the Tudor Gothic interiors redesigned by Sir Edwin Lutyens. The gardens include a quincunx herb garden and a simplified main parterre. The park offers views of the medieval church and mausoleum. Films and television series including Batman, Harry Potter and The Crown have used the house and grounds as locations. The annual Christmas Fair and classic car rallies add seasonal variety to the estate.