Jane's Midlife Journey

Kingston Lacy is a rather grand, ornately decorated house, surrounded by beautiful gardens, surrounded by parkland. It was the family home of the Bankes family for 300 years, before being bequeathed to the National Trust. Today, you can visit the Italianate mansion and marvel at its splendid interior, take a stroll round the beautiful formal gardens and walk/cycle along one of the woodland trails.

How to get to Kingston Lacy

Kingston Lacy is 12 miles north west of Bournemouth, just past the village of Wimborne. Take the B3082 past Wimborne. After around 3 miles, you will see the entry to the house on the left hand side. The car park is at the end of the drive.

By Bus

Getting to Kingston Lacy by Public Transport is a faff. From Bournemouth, it is possible to catch a bus (13 or 6) to Wimborne Square, three miles away. There is a connecting service (88) to Kingston Lacy, but only Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. If you do persevere with the bus, you can show your ticket to claim a free hot drink.

Parking

There is a large car park next to the house.

Opening Times

Opening times are seasonal. Check here for further details. To visit the house, you must take a card indicating your allocated time slot at the entrance. You can then wander round the house at your leisure at the specified time.

Price

Tickets to the house and garden cost £20 for adults, dropping to £19 in January/February. (£10/£9.50 for children over 5). Entry is free to National Trust members.

Free entry is occasionally available via special promotions and during National Lottery Open Week (March) and Heritage Week (September).

History

The Bankes family had Kingston Lacy built in 1663 after their family home, Corfe Castle, was destroyed in the Civil War. It has been remodelled and renovated over the ensuing years, with two extensive refurbishments.

In 1834, William John Bankes, who was an adventurer, inherited Kingston Lacy. He remodelled the house introducing influences (as well as plenty of art and artefacts) acquired on his travels. William was unable to complete his project. He was gay at a time when homosexuality carried the death penalty. Eventually, his family’s power and wealth were insufficient to keep him out of prison and he fled to Venice.

In 1902, Henrietta Bankes, who married into the family, used the extensive dowry provided by her slave trading father to remodel the house once more.

House

The house is ornately decorated from floor to ceiling with paintings, sculptures, furniture and artifacts collected by William on his travels.

It contains one of the country’s finest collections of paintings. One thing you won’t get to admire much are the walls, with almost every inch being covered in art work, extending to some spectacular ceilings.

Garden

The house is surrounded by a classic English garden with formal flower beds and lawns. A path leads past the Japanese Garden to the Kitchen Garden.

Formal Garden

Behind the house is a formal garden with flower beds bursting with colour even when we visited in September.

Japanese Garden

Past the Obelisk, you can admire but not enter the traditional Japanese style garden.

Kitchen Garden

The kitchen garden is a riot of colour, with fruit and vegetables grown to feed the house’s residents, together with flower beds.

A number of buildings catered for the family’s exotic tastes, with a vinery and a melon house among them.

Parkland

You can follow the woodland trails through the acres of parkland surrounding the house.

Treasures

Kingston Lacy’s previous owners enjoyed a good plunder and there are plenty of Egyptian and other treasures dotted around the house and gardens. Who has a sarcophagus in their back garden?

Philae Obelisk

Also in the garden you can see the Philae Obelisk. This 2000 year old obelisk stood in Egypt for millennia before William Bankes visited and, not satisfied with a postcard, had the obelisk dismantled and shipped back to his house in Dorset.

The Vizagapatam Cabinet

Meanwhile, in the house, you can play guess how many elephants had to die for the intricate ivory inlay on the 18th century Vizagapatam Cabinet.

Food and Drink

The former stable block now houses the Stables Café, which sells sandwiches, snacks and cream teas. There are tables inside, outside in the courtyard and more on the lawn. We opted for the good old NT stalwart – scones.

There is also the Kitchen Garden Kiosk for drinks, snacks and ice cream.

Shopping

The kitchen etc. were located in a courtyard next to the house. The old kitchen, laundry and dairy now house a gift shop, book shop and plant shop.

Kingston Lacy for Children

Orla loves the grounds of Kingston Lacy, where she can spot wildlife and learn about nature.

There are two Play Areas; one on the Woodland Walk and the second in the Kitchen Garden. Here, you can also find a snack kiosk and toilets.

During the school holidays, there are plenty of activities for children, such as nature trails, crafts and storytelling. Between 19th July and 7th September, the Summer of Play will take place. Children can play with giant building blocks, listen to stories in the story garden, put on a performance at the puppet theatre, help the gardeners water the garden plus lots more events, games and activities. Orla’s favourite was the bubble show.

You can purchase a children’s lunch box consisting of a sandwich, drink and a choice of three snacks (plenty of fruit options, plus crisps, chocolate etc) for £5.50. Orla was more interested in the scones…

Note: The main toilets are currently being renovated. In the meantime, there is a block of portaloos. At the end, you will find baby changing facilities in a rather bougie shepherd’s hut.

• Updated: June 2025

I hope you found this information useful. For more inspiration on things to do in and around Bournemouth, check out my 101 Things to do in Bournemouth here.

For more inspiration on things to do in and around Bournemouth with young children, check out my 101 Things to do in Bournemouth with Babies and Toddlers here.