Kingston Lacy
Kingston Lacy, Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 4EA
There’s plenty to see, from spectacular artworks to beautiful landscapes. Enjoy a summer picnic on the south lawn, or let little visitors run wild in nearby play areas. Wander through the Japanese Garden to the Kitchen Garden, which is being restored to Victorian splendour. Or explore the vast 8,500 acres of estate, featuring Iron Age hill forts, colourful heathland, water meadows and the world’s oldest pedigree herd of Red Ruby Devon cattle.
Kingston Lacy has a dynamic history. Over centuries the Bankes family built, altered, embellished and rebuilt their house. Their wealth came from extensive estates and profitable marriages, including inherited wealth from Caribbean plantations supported by the Atlantic slave trade. William John Bankes created the house we know today between 1834 and his death in 1855. Forced into exile for homosexuality, at that time punishable by death, he lived in Venice and remotely remodelled the house, creating lavishly decorated interiors such as the spectacular Spanish Room. Displaying remarkable paintings by renowned artists like Rubens, Van Dyck, Titian and Brueghel, the house is a miniature ‘national gallery’ for the South West, and includes Bankes' collection of ancient Egyptian artefacts, the largest private collection in the UK.
Timings & Tours
- Thursday 12 September:
- 0930-1700
- Friday 13 September:
- 0930-1700
- Saturday 14 September:
- 0930-1700
Location & directions
Kingston Lacy, Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 4EA
- Directions:
- By road: We are on B3082 Blandford to Wimborne Road. Sat Nav: data unreliable, follow B3082 and brown signs to Kingston Lacy Parking is free at Kingston Lacy for all visitors By bus: Services from Bournemouth and Poole, alight Wimborne Square. Taxi advised for onward journey to Kingston Lacy (3 miles). On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays Local Bus Service 88 runs from Wimborne to Kingston Lacy car park. Find out more at www.ectcharity.co.uk.
- Contact on day:
- Kingston Lacy
- Telephone number:
- +441202883402
Booking information
- Pre-booking requirement:
- Pre-booking not required
Accessibility details
Blue Badge parking. Mobility scooters for hire. Accessible WC. House partly accessible, virtual tour available. Garden paths mainly gravel. Please refer to Kingston Lacy Access Statement which you can find on our website which contains more information.
Additional information
Please note if you would like to visit the house, please speak to a member of the Visitor Reception team upon arrival as entrance to the house is via a free timed ticket. The house opens at 10.30am and last entry to the house is at 3pm.
