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A lavish family home re-imagined as a Venetian Palace in the rural Dorset countryside.
Wimborne Minster, Dorset, BH21 4EA
Asset | Opening time |
---|---|
House | 10:30 - 16:00 |
Car Park | 09:30 - 17:00 |
Garden | 09:30 - 17:00 |
Park | 09:30 - 17:00 |
Stables Café | 09:30 - 17:00 |
Shop | 10:00 - 17:00 |
Second-hand bookshop | 10:00 - 17:00 |
Badbury Rings car park | Dawn - Dusk |
Kitchen Garden Kiosk | 10:00 - 16:00 |
Please note: last entry to the house is 3pm. House closes at 4pm.
Ticket type | Gift aid | Standard |
---|---|---|
Adult | £21.00 | £19.00 |
Child | £10.50 | £9.50 |
Family | £52.50 | £47.50 |
1 adult, 2 children | £31.50 | £28.50 |
Second-hand bookshop located in Laundry Courtyard, just opposite the shop.
Volunteer-led tours of the garden
A range of sandwiches, light snacks such as soup or sausage rolls, and heartier choices such as one-pot lunches served with bloomers. Cream teas and ice cream. Children's lunchbox. A range of vegetarian and vegan options. Hot and cold drinks (takeaway available). Tables inside and out.
Visit the shop in Laundry Courtyard to buy a range of seasonal plants.
The main car park is 0.25 miles from the main road down a tarmac driveway. The car park consists of tarmac driveways and loose stone and gravel mix.
Located in Laundry Courtyard. A range of home furnishings, fashion accessories, kitchen ceramics, plants and seasonal food and drink, including products from local providers
Dogs on a lead are welcome in the car park, woodland walks, parkland and the Stables courtyard. Dogs not allowed in the formal garden, immediately behind the house, and in the house. Assistance dogs welcome everywhere.
Signposted as you enter the property. Baby-changing facilities are available in the ladies' and men's toilets
Blue Badge parking. Mobility scooters for hire. Accessible WC. House partly accessible, virtual tour available. Garden paths mainly gravel.
Path and floor surfaces around the property are tarmac, concrete, gravel, flagstone, grass, tile, marble and carpet. Map of accessible route available from Visitor Reception.
Located in the Laundry courtyard.
Please leave backpacks and rucksacks in the bag store (free of charge), located in the Laundry Courtyard.
Braille guides are available from the Front of House team in the main entrance.
Three powered mobility vehicles are available for loan from Visitor Reception. Pre-booking advised, telephone 01202 883402 (line 2).
There are 14 designated spaces for disabled people, on a gravel surface. Bays are not marked. Car park has tarmac driveways and loose stone and gravel mix for parking bays. The overflow car park is grass. The parking area is 21 metres (22 yards) from Visitor Reception, up a tarmac slope with a 1:8 gradient.
Induction loops at Visitor Reception and in the shop.
Main entrance to the house is up four steps and access to ground, first and second floors is via staircases. Wheelchair users have level access to three rooms on the basement level only, via a door is located in Laundry Courtyard. Please ring the bell for admission if no one is on duty. One of these rooms contains the virtual tour.
Large print guides are available from the Front of House team in the main entrance.
Audio-visual virtual reality tour available about the history of the house and the family as well as 360º degree imagery of all rooms. The touch screen is located on a 720mm high table within the interpretation space. The screen is positioned at an angle that can be adjusted. A chair without armrest is available.
Flooring within the restaurants is cobble stones or wood.
Three manual wheelchairs and three powered mobility vehicles are available for loan from Visitor Reception. Pre-booking advised, telephone 01202 883402 (line 2).
Two entrance ways: one with steps down and the other (signposted) level. Flooring uneven flagstones.
on B3082 Blandford to Wimborne Road
Parking: free at Kingston Lacy for all visitors. If you are visiting Badbury Rings on the wider estate, there is a pay-and-display car park: free for members (scan your membership card for an all-day ticket) and a charge for non members of £1 for one hour or £3 for the day.
Sat Nav: data unreliable, follow B3082 and brown signs to Kingston Lacy
Poole 8½ miles
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.
Put a spring in your step this Easter, by joining us in the Easter festival field. You'll find lots of playful activities, from Pin the tail on the bunny to an Egg and spoon obstacle course, that will challenge and amuse every generation. And practice makes perfect, so go back and enjoy your favourite activity again and again before collecting your chocolate egg. 29 March-14 April. 10am-3pm. Normal admission plus £3 per trail. Please note, the weather has not been kind recently and the field is grass; we recommend stout footwear and suitable clothes.
Blossom's fleeting visit is part of its charm – you have to be quick to catch it. It is also unpredictable; an early spring or a late frost can make a big difference to when the blossom is at its magical peak. We expect peak flowering from the end of March but throughout the season, we hope to turn the spotlight on the different beautiful blossoms both in the garden and around the Kingston Lacy estate to help you see it at its best. Look out for a specially curated playlist to download and a touring Blossom 'vending machine', and don't forget to capture and share your pictures with #BlossomWatch using our smart phone photography posts.
Enjoy nature and fresh air on woodland walks across the Kingston Lacy estate in Dorset, and find out all you need to know about visiting with your four-legged friend.
Discover all the things to do on a family day out at Kingston Lacy.
Groups of visitors are warmly welcomed by the National Trust at Kingston Lacy. Find out more about booking your tickets and the benefits you’ll get.
A lavish family home, re-imagined as a Venetian Palace, in the Dorset countryside. NOTE: in January 2024, house entry is by guided tour only. See Upcoming events for more information.
Classic English garden with Fernery, herbaceous borders, formal Parterre and Kitchen Garden, surrounded by Japanese-inspired planting and colourful woodland.
Acres of parkland surround the house, grazed by the pedigree Red Ruby Devon cattle and rare breed Portland sheep.
Holt Heath is one of the largest remaining areas of heathland in Dorset, and a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Two play areas, one featuring natural play in the woodland and the second in the Kitchen Garden. Both include a variety of features, including accessible play.
Stables Café serving a range of drinks, light lunches and takeaways; takeaway kiosk in the Kitchen Garden.
Shop selling a range of gifts, accessories, food and drink, plants and books. Second-hand bookshop.
There's always plenty to see and do at Kingston Lacy, whatever the weather.
Put a spring in your step this Easter, by joining us in the Easter festival field. You'll find lots of playful activities, from Pin the tail on the bunny to an Egg and spoon obstacle course, that will challenge and amuse every generation. And practice makes perfect, so go back and enjoy your favourite activity again and again before collecting your chocolate egg. 29 March-14 April. 10am-3pm. Normal admission plus £3 per trail. Please note, the weather has not been kind recently and the field is grass; we recommend stout footwear and suitable clothes.
Discover all the things to do on a family day out at Kingston Lacy.
Find out more about the Bankes family home. Discover art treasures and look at how a large home was used by the family and their visitors who came to stay.
Relax and wander the gardens to enjoy seasonal interest at any time of year, with plenty of space for children to run, skip and play, and spaces to stop along the way.
Discover the woodland, resident wildlife and historic carriage drive of the Kingston Lacy estate with this circular trail for walkers and cyclists.
Enjoy impressive views across the Dorset countryside on this circular walk, while discovering the history, flora and fauna of the Iron Age hillfort of Badbury Rings.
Enjoy a peaceful walk upstream along this picturesque stretch of the Stour river, with ancient woodland and an array of interesting birdlife to observe along the way.
Starting by an 18th-century mill, this moderate walk goes over rough pasture, alongside the River Stour, through the picturesque village of Shapwick and returns on lanes to White Mill.
Walk around the network of droves and along the tree-lined Beech Avenue at Kingston Lacy. This circular trail takes you back along the outskirts of the Kingston Lacy parkland.
Enjoy a gentle walk through the beautiful unspoilt villages of Pamphill and Cowgrove with good views across the Stour Valley.
This circular heathland walk covers one of the largest heath areas in Dorset, which is home to lots of wild flowers, birds, and all of the UK's reptile species.
Enjoy a relaxing circular walk through the water meadows by the River Stour at Kingston Lacy, taking in short stretches on scenic country lanes and along gravel tracks.
Sample the delicious menu at the Stables Café or visit the National Trust shop to browse a wide range of gifts, souvenirs and local produce. There's also a second-hand book store stocking a huge selection of titles, old and new.
An eye-catching thatched cottage on the Kingston Lacy estate, where you’ll find miles of footpaths through lush rolling countryside waiting to be explored.
A peaceful site surrounded by grassland and ancient trees on the Kingston Lacy estate, a short stroll from the house and gardens.
A picture-perfect thatch cottage with modern rustic interiors, close to Poole Harbour.
A charming, rustic conversion, this holiday cottage has wonky beams and countryside views.
A cosy cottage attached to the larger farmhouse, with views of open heath and woodland.
Five sea-view pitches in the grounds of an old dairy farm, with walks inland to the Purbeck hills or to Chapman’s Pool on the Jurassic Coast.
Celebrate beautiful blossom and the start of spring at Kingston Lacy.
Join in the Easter fun this spring. Put on your bunny ears, complete the ten amazing activities around the the Easter adventure field before claiming your tasty prize. Normal admission applies.
Would you like to try a gentle Nordic walk in the beautiful surroundings of Kingston Lacy? Dorset Council run weekly walks every Tuesday at 10am that last an hour. A Nordic Wellness Walk may incorporate mobility exercises to help with...
Would you like to try Nordic walking in the beautiful surroundings of Kingston Lacy? Dorset Council run weekly walks every Tuesday at 10am that last an hour. These one-hour walks are designed to help you improve your fitness levels and get...
Every Wednesday, enjoy the tranquillity of the Kingston Lacy garden in a dedicated silent space. Take time to relax, turn off your phone, rest quietly and connect to the nature around you.
Spring is in the air, and it is time for little lambs to frolic in the fields. Kingston Lacy’s Portland sheep will be lambing throughout April so join a member of the farm team to meet the lambs this weekend.
Learn how to get the most out of your smartphone camera and capture beautiful blossom and spring scenes through our Japanese Gardens.
Listen to the beautiful words of local poets and celebrate blossom and the return of Spring in our Japanese Garden.
Discover Kingston Lacy, an opulent family home built to resemble a Venetian Palace.
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.
Discover Kingston Lacy, an opulent family home built to resemble a Venetian Palace. There’s plenty to see, from spectacular art to beautiful gardens and landscapes. Enjoy a summer picnic on the south lawn, or let little visitors run wild in the two play areas. Wander through the Japanese Garden to the Kitchen Garden, now supplying produce to the cafe. 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. Forced into exile for homosexuality, he lived in Venice and remotely remodelled the house, as well as creating lavishly decorated interiors such as the spectacular Spanish Room. Displaying remarkable paintings by artists such as 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.
A vision from Venice nestled in a pocket of Dorset. Read about Kingston Lacy’s most influential owner who made it the important place you see today.
Learn about some of the prized items that are housed at Kingston Lacy, several of which feature in the National Trust's book 125 Treasures.
In 2024 we hope to carry out a major programme of works to upgrade car park, toilets and welcome building at Kingston Lacy. Read on to find out what we'd like to do, and how we will minimise the inevitable disruption if planning is granted.
Discover how Kingston Lacy is encouraging biodiverse, resilient habitats for nature, yet with opportunities for people to explore the landscape.
Conservation work is a vital part of what the National Trust does at Kingston Lacy. Discover more about our latest initiatives.
Home Farm on the wider estate is home to the special Red Ruby Devon cows and rare breed Portland sheep. Find out why you’ll see them out on the Kingston Lacy estate.
There are numerous ways that you can volunteer with the National Trust at Kingston Lacy. Find out how to join our team.
Enjoy access to more than 500 places with National Trust membership. Join today and help protect nature, beauty and history – for everyone, for ever.