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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 - 16:00 |
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 | 11:00 - 15:00 |
In January 2024, the house will be closed 2-5 Jan for Christmas takedown, and the whole property closed 9 Jan for staff training. Throughout the rest of Jan, access to the house will be limited to guided tours (free, normal admission applies). There will be eight tours every day, two of which are bookable in advance. Tickets for the other tours are available to pick up on arrival at Visitor Reception on a first-come-first-served basis. See upcoming events on the Things to See and Do tab to find out more.
Ticket type | Gift aid | Standard |
---|---|---|
Adult | £19.80 | £18.00 |
Child | £9.90 | £9.00 |
Family | £49.50 | £45.00 |
1 adult, 2 children | £29.70 | £27.00 |
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.
From 25 November the property will be transformed as folk tales from across the world are brought to life by magical decorations. There'll be a vintage carousel, a host of twinkling lights and (shhhh!) storytime with a very special visitor... Find your festive at Kingston Lacy.
Kingston Lacy was never designed to have the numbers of visitors it enjoys today. To preserve this incredible collection for the future, the conservation team needs space to work on deep cleaning the rooms and items within them. So throughout January (exc 2-5 and 9 Jan, when the house is closed), the only way to view the house is on a guided tour (free, admission applies). Go behind the scenes, discover rooms not normally open and learn how we care for Kingston Lacy. There will be eight tours every day, two of which are bookable in advance. Tickets for the other tours are available to pick up on arrival at Visitor Reception on a first-come-first-served basis. Click to find out more.
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.
Christmas folk stories from around the world come to Kingston Lacy this December, with a visit from Santa for storytelling sessions as well as a multitude of Christmas decorations that bring extra special sparkle to the property.
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.
Join us for tasty treats, seasonal shopping and a magical atmosphere in Kingston Lacy's Courtyard this Winter.
This festive season, join us on an adventure to find Santa in his hidden storybook nook for a cosy Christmas tale, an early gift and a chance to take a photo with the man himself! Pre-book your tickets here. Normal property admission applies.
Christmas folklore from across the world comes to Kingston Lacy house this winter, with beautiful decorations and stories for the whole family to discover.
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 gentle Nordic Walk incorporating mobility exercises to help with flexibility,...
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...
Join us for Christmas carols and festive songs sung by local choirs in Kingston Lacy's Courtyard this Winter.
Would you like to take up cycling again, have lost confidence, or would just like to ride with other people using traffic-free trails or quiet country lanes? These rides are led by trained volunteers from Dorset Council's Health and Activity...
Discover the ever changing Kingston Lacy woodlands and countryside and have the opportunity to meet new people on these gentle strolls, ranging from 3-4 miles (around 1.5 hours).
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.
The clock above the Stables cafe needs specialist care. Almost 150 years after it was installed, we're fund-raising to restore this beautiful clock. Can you support us with a donation?
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.