There are lots of things which make Knowle Park special, but one of the most fascinating is that our home was once the residence of the last absolute monarch of Siam (now Thailand), Prajadhipok.
Born in 1893, Prajadhipok ruled Siam at a time of immense political and civil change. He was crowned in 1925, and ruled for 10 years before he chose to abdicate due to internal political pressures. The Great Depression led to much unrest in Siam, resulting in a revolution in 1932 led by the People’s Party. An uneasy peace was reached in which Prajadhipok and the People’s Party sought to move Siam from a system of absolute monarchy to a constitutional one, but in time this relationship broke down, leading to the king’s abdication.
After he had stepped down from royal duties, Prajadhipok returned to England, where he had been educated and spent much of his young life. The first house he lived at was Knowle Park, then owned by the Bonham family. It was from Knowle that Prajadhipok announced his abdication to the world, a truly fascinating chapter in our home’s history.
Prajadhipok suffered with ill health, which led to many moves around the country as he looked for a location which suited him. He eventually settled in Compton House in Wentworth, where he died in 1941 aged just 47.
Prajadhipok’s legacy is complex. While some historians praise his democratic spirit and intelligence, others suggest he was overly focused on political manoeuvring with the goal of shoring up his increasingly unsteady power in Siam.
Either way, Prajadhipok was an interesting man and we’re pleased our home plays a small part in his story. To read more about Prajadhipok, click here.
