Our conservation work in the house

Detail of one of Florentine pietra dura panels of the cabinet in the Spanish Room at Kingston Lacy, depicting winter. In this scene, a robin is seen among foliage. — Detail of a Florentine pietra dura panel; in the Spanish Room at Kingston Lacy | © National Trust Images

Our expert team is dedicated to protecting Kingston Lacy and its natural surroundings for the benefit of future generations. This article explores the conservation work in the mansion house; check out our other articles on the vital conservation work on the wider estate.

The Visakhapatnam cabinet

This extraordinary 18th century treasure underwent extensive conservation in 2025.

The work involved cleaning to remove more than two centuries of ingrained dirt, correcting previous repairs, replacing missing ivory veneers and stabilising internal mirrors that had loose mercury.

Our conservator, Nicola Shreeve, discovered the cabinet is made from a hard wood called padauk, rather than rosewood as had been previously thought. She was able to establish that one of the drawers was altered in the 19th century to create a fold-out secretaire drawer; and open not only one but two hidden drawers (sadly, neither contained anything exciting!).

Nicola also used modern prosthetics techniques to create a replica 'ivory' claw for one of the cabinet's feet, which is nearly undectable from the remaining claws.

She says: ‘It is the most spectacular piece of furniture I have had the joy of conserving and a wonderful opportunity to understand historic techniques and materials. We’ve identified some curious and highly unusual methods of cabinet making; intriguing details were revealed through X-ray imaging that could shed new light on the amazing craft skills of the makers of Vizagapatam.’

Eighteenth-century cabinet on a stand, made of wood and inlaid with ivory detail, on display at Kingston Lacy — The cabinet on a stand is elaborately decorated | © National Trust Images/Andreas von Einsiedel

Conserving Kingston Lacy's cupola

Kingston Lacy's cupola is an iconic feature but its construction has caused a lot of problems over the years.

The cupola was added in 1835, designed by architect Charles Barry to be thinner and taller than the previous one and act simply as an impressive lantern to light the attic below. It was also glazed inside out, probably in order to look more attractive to guests being taken on a tour of the roof.

That glazing, which makes it easy for moisture to sit in the window frames, means the cupola needs regular maintenance. But the shape means access is very difficult, so we commissioned a bespoke scaffolding tower to fit through a 1.8 metre diameter, 10 metre tube. We also made protective boxing for the beautiful plaster mouldings when we are working on the glazing.

Now, conservation staff and volunteers can access the cupola safely to carry out more frequent maintenance.

A dress to impress: bringing Henrietta's dress to life

Two 19th century gowns worn by Henrietta Bankes, the mother of Henry John ‘Ralph’ Bankes who gifted the Kingston Lacy estate to the National Trust in 1981, were carefully conserved and mounted so that the fragile textiles could go on display in 2025.

The gowns, which had been stored out of sight for more than a century, are wonderful examples of haute couture and the work of two of the most important 19th century fashion houses: Doucet and Paquin, whose premises were within doors of each other on the fashionable Rue de la Paix in Paris.

The first, a pale green satin evening gown trimmed with chiffon and ribbon, was made to measure by Jacques Doucet in 1896. The second is a cream chiffon, lace-trimmed tea gown with purple ribbons, and was made by the pioneering female couturier, Jeanne Paquin, who opened a store in London in 1896.

The textiles have maintained an astonishing richness of colour but needed protection against further deterioration. Weak areas were reinforced with transparent gauze, and creases and discolouration removed with very gentle steaming.

The work also revealed other details: on the Doucet, remnants of the silk threads that indicate an elaborate decorative trim (now missing); while the Paquin had additional panels to let out the dress to accommodate Henrietta's changing shape.

A frill stretched out, pinned and weighted down — The hem of the Paquin teagown was gently reshaped | © Textile Conservation Limited

Going green: ground source heat pump project

Kingston Lacy is opulent, spectacular and astonishing. In 2023 this 'jewel box' mansion installed a 160kW ground source heat pump system to replace the ageing oil boilers, saving around 30,000 litres of oil and 57 tonnes of carbon a year.

The project is one of the National Trust’s biggest heat pump projects to date, and the first high temperature ground source system the charity has installed. It cut emissions to around a quarter of their current levels.

But it helps us in our conservation work as well. Using a green energy source means we are able to heat the mansion at a low temperature for longer periods. This improves the internal environment and humidity control of the collections, and helps us secure this beautiful place for the future.

In 2022, the Trust announced it had removed a million litres of oil from its properties since 2013, following a nine-year investment programme to “get off oil” and grow its own green energy supply. Another 100 renewable projects – including many heat pumps – are in the pipeline to further reduce fossil fuel use and help the charity reach its ambition of net zero by 2030.

This project was part funded by Low Carbon Dorset as part of the European Regional Development Fund.