Far from being a blessed bequest, Knepp was more of a poisoned chalice, haemorrhaging money as Britain turned towards intensive, industrialised farming practices. The story begins back in 1985 when Charlie, then aged 22, inherited Knepp Castle and its surrounding 3,500 acres from his grandfather. Such success, I feel, as I bounce about on ‘safari’ through rough scrubland in the back of a Sixties Austrian Pinzgauer, is a manifestation of all that she and her husband Sir Charles Burrell have achieved at their West Sussex estate over the past 17 years. By the end of the afternoon, in the wake of huge pre-publication interest, Picador texts to tell her that the book has been assigned a fourth print run.
By coincidence, I arrive at Knepp Castle on the day that Isabella Tree’s new book Wilding is officially published.
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