EXPERIENCES

Knowsley Hall Upcoming Events

Every season is celebrated on the Knowsley Estate and life at Knowsley Hall offers a lot of exciting things to do and see. Here is our list of upcoming events.

EXPERIENCES

Knowsley Hall Upcoming Events

Every season is celebrated on the Knowsley Estate and life at Knowsley Hall offers a lot of exciting things to do and see. Here is our list of upcoming events.

Featured
The Derby Women – By Dr Stephen Lloyd, Curator of the Derby Collection
3rd July 2025
The Derby Women – By Dr Stephen Lloyd, Curator of the Derby Collection
3rd July 2025

Many Stanley women had to run the estates when their husbands were away on political or court business, and alongside their preoccupation with the future of the dynasty, for many the creation of a great house became their life’s work.

Read More →
3rd July 2025
Independence Day Celebration - The Men who Lost America
4th July 2025
Independence Day Celebration - The Men who Lost America
4th July 2025

On the Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence we are offering a unique study day on (The Men Who Lost America,) the story of the unexpected defeat for the powerful British Empire.

Read More →
4th July 2025
The Knowsley Hall History Festival – The Life and Legacy of the 13th Earl of Derby
15th October 2025
The Knowsley Hall History Festival – The Life and Legacy of the 13th Earl of Derby
15th October 2025

Meet some of the leading historians of the day in an intimate and luxurious private stay at Knowsley Hall.

Read More →
15th October 2025
The Knowsley Hall History Festival – The Life and Legacy of the 14th Earl of Derby
16th October 2025
The Knowsley Hall History Festival – The Life and Legacy of the 14th Earl of Derby
16th October 2025

Meet some of the leading historians of the day in an intimate and luxurious private stay at Knowsley Hall.

Read More →
16th October 2025
Featured
The Derby Women – By Dr Stephen Lloyd, Curator of the Derby Collection
3rd July 2025
The Derby Women – By Dr Stephen Lloyd, Curator of the Derby Collection
3rd July 2025

Many Stanley women had to run the estates when their husbands were away on political or court business, and alongside their preoccupation with the future of the dynasty, for many the creation of a great house became their life’s work.

Read More →
3rd July 2025
Independence Day Celebration - The Men who Lost America
4th July 2025
Independence Day Celebration - The Men who Lost America
4th July 2025

On the Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence we are offering a unique study day on (The Men Who Lost America,) the story of the unexpected defeat for the powerful British Empire.

Read More →
4th July 2025
The Knowsley Hall History Festival – The Life and Legacy of the 13th Earl of Derby
15th October 2025
The Knowsley Hall History Festival – The Life and Legacy of the 13th Earl of Derby
15th October 2025

Meet some of the leading historians of the day in an intimate and luxurious private stay at Knowsley Hall.

Read More →
15th October 2025
The Knowsley Hall History Festival – The Life and Legacy of the 14th Earl of Derby
16th October 2025
The Knowsley Hall History Festival – The Life and Legacy of the 14th Earl of Derby
16th October 2025

Meet some of the leading historians of the day in an intimate and luxurious private stay at Knowsley Hall.

Read More →
16th October 2025

Knowsley Safari Experience

The Derby family have always been close to animals and nature, in this case quite literally, as they have wild animals on their doorstep. The 13th Earl of Derby started a menagerie in the park in the early 19th century, a tradition which continues today in Knowsley Safari. The family estates are now home to lions, tigers, giraffes, bears and baboons all living freely in the wide-open acres of parkland. Enjoy hearing about the lives of the animals on the estate, both domestic and wild in the exciting documentary programme The Secret Life of the Safari recently filmed by Channel 4.

Knowsley Safari Experience

The Derby family have always been close to animals and nature, in this case quite literally, as they have wild animals on their doorstep. The 13th Earl of Derby started a menagerie in the park in the early 19th century, a tradition which continues today in Knowsley Safari. The family estates are now home to lions, tigers, giraffes, bears and baboons all living freely in the wide-open acres of parkland. Enjoy hearing about the lives of the animals on the estate, both domestic and wild in the exciting documentary programme The Secret Life of the Safari recently filmed by Channel 4.

Experience Golf

Enjoy some of the finest golf links in the neighbouring region with players travelling from all over the world to discover these golfing destinations. The Lancashire coastline is the undoubted capital of golf in England. Three of the four locations in England at which the British Open is played are here, Royal Liverpool, Royal Birkdale and Royal Lytham and St Anne’s. There are about thirty-five leading courses in the area including Formby, Hillside, Ainsdale and Southport amongst many other gems.

Experience Golf

Enjoy some of the finest golf links in the neighbouring region with players travelling from all over the world to discover these golfing destinations. The Lancashire coastline is the undoubted capital of golf in England. Three of the four locations in England at which the British Open is played are here, Royal Liverpool, Royal Birkdale and Royal Lytham and St Anne’s. There are about thirty-five leading courses in the area including Formby, Hillside, Ainsdale and Southport amongst many other gems.

Local Experiences

Shakespeare North Playhouse

The Countess has always loved Shakespeare and nothing has been more thrilling then seeing the return of Shakespeare to the region with the creation of the Shakespeare North Playhouse at Prescot. It is such an incredible opportunity to see such wonderful productions on Knowsley’s doorstep. Shakespeare wrote one of his finest plays Midsummer Night’s Dream at Knowsley Hall under the patronage of the 4th, 5th and 6th Earls so it’s like Shakespeare is coming home.

VISIT SITE

Moor Hall Restaurant

Moor Hall is one of the Countess’s favourite restaurants in England and Marc Birchall is one of her favourite chefs. Moor Hall has raised the culinary bar for the north of England by achieving a second Michelin star and being voted “best restaurant in England” for the second time. The exquisite tasting menu involves working with a wonderful variety of ingredients mostly grown locally and many from their own garden. 

VISIT SITE

National Museums Liverpool

National Museums Liverpool (NML) comprises seven venues, including some of the most visited museums in England outside of London. Our collections are among the most important and varied in Europe and contain everything from Impressionist paintings and rare beetles to a lifejacket from the Titanic. We attracted more than 2.5 million visitors in 2023.

Our venues are Museum of Liverpool, World Museum, Walker Art Gallery, Maritime Museum, International Slavery Museum, Sudley House and Lady Lever Art Gallery. National Museums Liverpool is regulated by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)

VISIT SITE

Local Experiences

Shakespeare North Playhouse

The Countess has always loved Shakespeare and nothing has been more thrilling then seeing the return of Shakespeare to the region with the creation of the Shakespeare North Playhouse at Prescot. It is such an incredible opportunity to see such wonderful productions on Knowsley’s doorstep. Shakespeare wrote one of his finest plays Midsummer Night’s Dream at Knowsley Hall under the patronage of the 4th, 5th and 6th Earls so it’s like Shakespeare is coming home.

VISIT SITE

Moor Hall
Restaurant

Moor Hall is one of the Countess’s favourite restaurants in England and Marc Birchall is one of her favourite chefs. Moor Hall has raised the culinary bar for the north of England by achieving a second Michelin star and being voted “best restaurant in England” for the second time. The exquisite tasting menu involves working with a wonderful variety of ingredients mostly grown locally and many from their own garden. 

VISIT SITE

National Museums Liverpool

National Museums Liverpool (NML) comprises seven venues, including some of the most visited museums in England outside of London. Our collections are among the most important and varied in Europe and contain everything from Impressionist paintings and rare beetles to a lifejacket from the Titanic. We attracted more than 2.5 million visitors in 2023.

Our venues are Museum of Liverpool, World Museum, Walker Art Gallery, Maritime Museum, International Slavery Museum, Sudley House and Lady Lever Art Gallery. National Museums Liverpool is regulated by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)

VISIT SITE

Experience the History of Knowsley Hall

The earliest surviving parts of Knowsley Hall date from 1385 and the hall has welcomed Royal visitors and distinguished guests from round the world for over 600 years. The Earls and Countesses of Derby have had a deep influence on military history, international relations and British politics for centuries. Known for their love of horse-racing, the family have owned racehorses as early as the 1590s. The 12th Earl founded the two greatest classic horse races, The Derby in 1780 and The Oaks in 1779. The Derbys are well known patrons of the Arts and legendary supporters of William Shakespeare. In July 2022 Shakespeare’s triangle of London, Stratford upon Avon and Prescot was completed with the opening of the Shakespeare North Playhouse in Prescot, a stone’s throw from Knowsley Hall. Each of the rooms at Knowsley Hall tells its own story with the charm and grace of bygone eras.

Experience the History of Knowsley Hall

The earliest surviving parts of Knowsley Hall date from 1385 and the hall has welcomed Royal visitors and distinguished guests from round the world for over 600 years. The Earls and Countesses of Derby have had a deep influence on military history, international relations and British politics for centuries. Known for their love of horse-racing, the family have owned racehorses as early as the 1590s. The 12th Earl founded the two greatest classic horse races, The Derby in 1780 and The Oaks in 1779. The Derbys are well known patrons of the Arts and legendary supporters of William Shakespeare. In July 2022 Shakespeare’s triangle of London, Stratford upon Avon and Prescot was completed with the opening of the Shakespeare North Playhouse in Prescot, a stone’s throw from Knowsley Hall. Each of the rooms at Knowsley Hall tells its own story with the charm and grace of bygone eras.

The State Dining Room

The State Dining Room is one of the most magnificent rooms in the hall with its fifty foot ceiling and walls hung with family portraits in chronological order, as a pictorial narrative of the Stanley dynasty.

The Stucco Ballroom

This beautiful ball room was originally built by the 10th Earl and later doubled in size by the 16th Earl. The original curtains are of cut velvet Genoese damask with a suite of furniture covered with the same luxurious fabric.

The State Dining Room

The State Dining Room is one of the most magnificent rooms in the hall with its fifty foot ceiling and walls hung with family portraits in chronological order, as a pictorial narrative of the Stanley dynasty.

The Stucco Ballroom

This beautiful ball room was originally built by the 10th Earl and later doubled in size by the 16th Earl. The original curtains are of cut velvet Genoese damask with a suite of furniture covered with the same luxurious fabric.

The Walnut Drawing Room

In 1893 Frederick, Lord Stanley succeeded to the earldom on the death of his brother and subsequently returned from Canada where he had been Governor General. The 16th Earl then set about demolishing three rooms and a staircase to create this elegant Walnut Drawing Room designed to be large enough to host the same number of guests as the State Dining Room. Decorated in the current fashionable style of Louis 14th with full length family portraits enclosed in the panels of carved walnut which gives this drawing room a warmth which, combined with its grandeur, makes it one of the most stunning rooms in the house.

The Library

The re-instatement of the Library with its reams of rare books was one of the main features of the recent restoration. The Library has now become both the heart and soul of this great house.

The Walnut Drawing Room

In 1893 Frederick, Lord Stanley succeeded to the earldom on the death of his brother and subsequently returned from Canada where he had been Governor General. The 16th Earl then set about demolishing three rooms and a staircase to create this elegant Walnut Drawing Room designed to be large enough to host the same number of guests as the State Dining Room. Decorated in the current fashionable style of Louis 14th with full length family portraits enclosed in the panels of carved walnut which gives this drawing room a warmth which, combined with its grandeur, makes it one of the most stunning rooms in the house.

The Library

The re-instatement of the Library with its reams of rare books was one of the main features of the recent restoration. The Library has now become both the heart and soul of this great house.

The Morning Room

The Morning room is the perfect place for sitting in peace and quiet. Positioned in a quiet corner of the house, it is a place where you can enjoy reading the newspaper, or a good book, or just gazing out over the views of parkland surrounding the Hall.

The Royal Lodgings

Lady Derby has also painstakingly restored the Royal Lodgings as their private apartment. The Royal Family has often stayed at Knowsley Hall on their journeys across the United Kingdom, including most recently, for the Golden Wedding Anniversary tour in 2002. The Royal Lodgings were originally built for King Henry VII in 1495 by the first Earl of Derby. Queen Victoria, the late Queen Elizabeth II and her sister Princess Margaret have all stayed at Knowsley Hall.

The Morning Room

The Morning room is the perfect place for sitting in peace and quiet. Positioned in a quiet corner of the house, it is a place where you can enjoy reading the newspaper, or a good book, or just gazing out over the views of parkland surrounding the Hall.

The Royal Lodgings

Lady Derby has also painstakingly restored the Royal Lodgings as their private apartment. The Royal Family has often stayed at Knowsley Hall on their journeys across the United Kingdom, including most recently, for the Golden Wedding Anniversary tour in 2002. The Royal Lodgings were originally built for King Henry VII in 1495 by the first Earl of Derby. Queen Victoria, the late Queen Elizabeth II and her sister Princess Margaret have all stayed at Knowsley Hall..

Lord Derby’s Suite

Originally designed for Edward John Stanley, the eighteenth Earl of Derby who was passionate about racing and started Knowsley Safari in 1971 based on the menagerie of his forebear and namesake, Edward Stanley, 13th Earl of Derby, with whom coincidentally he also shared a birthday on 21st April! Knowsley Safari is now home to over 700 animals and 60 different species. .

Jacobean Room

One of the most intriguing rooms in the house with a real sense of history is the Jacobean Room. The fine panelling and intricate ceiling are of particular interest. There is a fabulous portrait of Charlotte de la Tremouille, the wife of the 7th Earl of Derby, who bravely survived a siege during the Civil War. The Room houses many intricate objects like the two giant chess pieces surrounding an 18th century clock, and an array of intricate 16th and 17th century furniture. A sombre note is struck by the chair upon which the 7th Earl knelt for his beheading in 1651. His loyalty to his King cost him his life. He was honoured for his courage by his peers.

Lord Derby’s Suite

Originally designed for Edward John Stanley, the eighteenth Earl of Derby who was passionate about racing and started Knowsley Safari in 1971 based on the menagerie of his forebear and namesake, Edward Stanley, 13th Earl of Derby, with whom coincidentally he also shared a birthday on 21st April! Knowsley Safari is now home to over 700 animals and 60 different species. .

Jacobean Room

One of the most intriguing rooms in the house with a real sense of history is the Jacobean Room. The fine panelling and intricate ceiling are of particular interest. There is a fabulous portrait of Charlotte de la Tremouille, the wife of the 7th Earl of Derby, who bravely survived a siege during the Civil War. The Room houses many intricate objects like the two giant chess pieces surrounding an 18th century clock, and an array of intricate 16th and 17th century furniture. A sombre note is struck by the chair upon which the 7th Earl knelt for his beheading in 1651. His loyalty to his King cost him his life. He was honoured for his courage by his peers.