Step into an elegant mansion famed for its sumptuous interiors. Marvel at one of the greatest family picture collections in Britain and unearth the secrets of some of our oldest treasures in the Egyptian Room.

Whet your appetite with these five highlights from the house:

Spanish splendour

© NTPL / Derrick E Witty

The heat cranks up a notch when you enter the Spanish Room. It shimmers with gold, gilded leather and the semi-precious stones of Florentine pietra dura panels.

This flamboyant room was created by William John Bankes to show off his dazzling Spanish art collection. The lavish gilded ceiling is reputed to have come from a Venetian palace and the gilded leather wall hangings hark from a palazzo further down the Grand Canal.

Treasures of the Nile

© NTPL / Derrick E Witty

The Egyptian Room boasts some of the oldest objects in our entire collections. The antiquities on display provide a fascinating glimpse into ancient Egyptian life. Look out for small bronze cats, scarabs, mummy figures and tomb inscriptions.

The treasures on display were collected by William John Bankes during his travels in Egypt. The collection keeps growing in size. A crate of ancient Egyptian inscribed pottery sherds known as 'ostraka' was only recently discovered in the cellar.

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Room with a view

© NTPL / James Mortimer

After climbing the Italian marble staircase, stand in the cool and airy Loggia with more marble under your feet. Kingston Lacy was styled on the Renaissance palazzi of Venice and this room oozes Italian pizzazz.

Bronze statues (Italian, of course) of three of the notables in the history of Kingston Lacy, King Charles I, Sir John Bankes and Dame Mary, grace the niches in the walls. Look closely and you’ll find the keys to her beloved Corfe Castle still in Dame Mary’s hand. And pause to admire the Dutch Garden below.

Frescos and family faces

© NTPL / John Hammond	More Italian Renaissance splendour awaits you in the Library. Guido Reni’s ceiling fresco, ‘The Separation of Night and Day’, floats ethereally above your head, restored after 40 years rolled up. Take care of your neck: it will take some time to fully admire this masterpiece.

Get to know some of the Bankes’s who have lived here over the centuries: many of the paintings that hang in the Library are family portraits, painted by the likes of Sir Peter Lely. The monster set of keys hanging over the fireplace once unlocked the fortified doors of Corfe Castle. Read about 'Brave Dame Mary' to unlock this explosive story.

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The Saloon

© NTPL / James Mortimer / Derrick E Witty

Kingston Lacy is home to one of the greatest family picture collections in Britain. Art lovers should head for the Saloon. This lofty room, with its exquisitely painted ceiling, is festooned with European paintings and sculpture from luminaries including Sir Peter Paul Rubens. The treasures continue down to ground level with fine furniture and porcelain.