The Burrells have been associated with Sussex since the 15th century, first as farmers and vicars of Cuckfield, then as ironmasters in the 17th century.

In 1904 Knepp Castle was devastated by a fire that destroyed virtually all the contents including a collection of Raphaels, Holbeins and Vandykes, and a fine library. It  was the headquarters of the 1st Canadian Division during World War II and narrowly escaped being burned down a second time when a desert stove exploded in the pantry.

Charlie Burrell, the present owner, inherited the estate from his grandparents and moved into the castle in 1987. With his wife, the writer Isabella Tree, they embarked on extensive renovations in the mid-1990s.

Until recently most of the land was devoted to traditional arable and dairy farming but in 2001 they switched  focus on a series of regeneration and restoration projects aimed at nature conservation - or 'rewilding', as it has come to be known.

Family is still farming, just in a less intensive way - producing organic, pasture-fed meat from free-roaming herds of animals within the Wildland project. They now also run nature-based tourism from our Safari-Campsite.