Kingston Lacy facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Kingston Lacy
Kingston Lacy house from the south
Alternative names	Kingston Hall
General information
Type	Country house
Architectural style	Italianate architecture
Town or city	Wimborne Minster, Dorset
Country	England
Coordinates	50°48′39.39″N 2°1′56.12″W / 50.8109417°N 2.0322556°W / 50.8109417; -2.0322556
Construction started	1663
Completed	1665
Client	Sir John Bankes Sir Ralph Bankes.
Owner	National Trust
Technical details
Structural system	Red brick, later encased in Chilmark stone
Material	Red brick
Floor count	4 (2 × main floors; 1 × basement; 1 × attic)
Grounds	164 hectares (410 acres) (5 hectares (12 acres) of gardens and pleasure grounds; 159 hectares (390 acres) of park and other ornamented land)
Design and construction
Architect	Roger Pratt
Other designers	Inigo Jones (Interiors)
Designations	Grade I listed
Renovating team
Architect	Charles Barry

Listed Building – Grade I
Official name: Kingston Lacey House
Designated:	18 March 1955
Reference #:	1119511

Kingston Lacy is a beautiful country house and large estate in Dorset, England. It is located near the town of Wimborne Minster. For many years, it was the home of the Bankes family. This family used to live at Corfe Castle nearby. However, Corfe Castle was destroyed during the English Civil War. This happened because the Bankes family, especially Sir John Bankes and his wife Dame Mary, stayed loyal to King Charles I.

The current house was built between 1663 and 1665. It was designed by a famous architect named Sir Roger Pratt. The house was built for Ralph Bankes, who was Sir John Bankes' son. It is a rectangular building with two main floors, plus an attic and a basement. The design was inspired by another grand house called Chevening in Kent.

At the same time, the gardens and parkland around the house were created. Some of the original trees from that time are still there today. Over the years, the house was changed and added to. The Bankes family owned the estate from the 1600s until the late 1900s.

Kingston Lacy is now a very important historical site. In 1958, it was named a Grade I listed building. This means it is a building of exceptional historical interest. The park and gardens are also listed as Grade II on the National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens. In 1982, after Henry John Ralph Bankes passed away, the house and Corfe Castle were given to the National Trust. The National Trust is a charity that protects historic places. Today, you can visit the house and gardens to explore their history.

The History of Kingston Lacy
The Architecture of Kingston Lacy
Amazing Collections at Kingston Lacy
Exploring the Gardens
Gallery
See also

The History of Kingston Lacy

Early Beginnings and Royal Connections

The land where Kingston Lacy stands was once part of a royal estate. It was used as a hunting lodge during the medieval period. This was because there was a deer park nearby. Kings and queens would lease the land to people they favored.

One of the families who leased the land was the de Lacys. In the 1400s, the property was leased to John Beaufort, who was the Duke of Somerset. His daughter, Lady Margaret Beaufort, grew up at Kingston Lacy. She later became the mother of King Henry VII.

The Bankes Family and Corfe Castle

By the 1700s, the old house on the estate was in ruins. In 1603, King James I gave the land to Sir Charles Blount. In 1636, Sir Charles's son sold the estate to Sir John Bankes. Sir John was a very successful lawyer who became the Attorney General for King Charles I. He used his wealth to buy the Corfe estate.

During the Civil War, the Bankes family stayed loyal to the King. Sir John Bankes died in 1644. His wife, Mary Bankes, bravely defended Corfe Castle during two sieges. However, the castle eventually fell to the Parliamentary forces. In 1645, Parliament decided to destroy the castle. This is why it is now in ruins.

Even though their castle was destroyed, the Bankes family still owned a lot of land. They had about 8,000 acres of countryside and coastline in Dorset. Local villagers used the stones from the ruined castle to rebuild their own homes.

Building the New Kingston Lacy

After the monarchy was restored in 1660, the Bankes family got their properties back. Instead of rebuilding Corfe Castle, Sir John's eldest son, Ralph Bankes, decided to build a new house. He chose their estate near Wimborne Minster. In 1663, he hired Sir Roger Pratt to design the new house. It was first called Kingston Hall. Construction began that same year and was finished by 1665.

Sir Ralph Bankes died in 1677. His wife then rented the house to James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormond for a few years. In 1693, John Bankes the Elder took over the property. He and his wife, Margaret, finished many of the original plans for the house.

Changes and Collections Over Time

In 1772, the house went to Ralph Bankes' second son, Henry. He made some changes to the house and added a wing for servants. He also enclosed the parkland to manage the farms better.

Corfe Castle was damaged by Parliament in the 1600s.

Later, Henry Bankes the Younger, Ralph Bankes' grandson, created the current estate and parkland. He moved the village of Kingston and changed the main road. He also turned farmland into beautiful parkland. Henry Bankes was a Member of Parliament and a trustee for the British Museum. Some of his collections from the house are now in the museum. He hosted famous guests like William Pitt the Younger and Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington.

Henry's son, William John Bankes, was an explorer and adventurer. He asked his friend Charles Barry to update Kingston Lacy. Between 1835 and 1838, Barry covered the red brick house with stone. He also added tall chimneys and changed the entrance. William John Bankes also planted many beech tree avenues along the road.

A bust of Mark Antony collected by William John Bankes, displayed at Kingston Lacy.

William John Bankes collected most of the amazing old items in the house. He traveled a lot in the Middle East and Asia. He gathered one of the world's largest private collections of Ancient Egyptian antiques. The most famous is the Philae obelisk, which stands tall in the grounds. He also bought a painting by Sir Peter Paul Rubens in Italy. In 1841, William John had to leave the country due to personal difficulties. His art collection stayed at Kingston Lacy.

While William John was away, his brother George Bankes managed the estate. George inherited the estate when William John died in 1857. Later, George's grandson, Walter Ralph, inherited it in 1869. Walter's wife, Henrietta, made the last big changes to the estate. She built a church and new entrance lodges.

In 1923, control passed to Ralph Bankes. He was the great-great-great-great-great-grandson of the original builder. During the Second World War, a large military camp was set up in the park. After Ralph Bankes died in 1981, Kingston Lacy and Corfe Castle were given to the National Trust. This was the largest gift the National Trust had ever received.

The Architecture of Kingston Lacy

Sir Ralph Bankes, who had Kingston Lacy built. Painting by Sir Peter Lely.

Kingston Lacy was designed by Sir Roger Pratt. He started building it in 1663, and it was finished by 1665. The house is made of red brick. It has special stone details from Chilmark and Portland stone.

The house has a compact, rectangular shape. It has two main floors, a basement, and an attic with dormer windows. On the south side, there are many windows. The middle part of the house sticks out a little. The roof is covered in lead and has a flat section in the middle. A small dome, called a cupola, rises from the center of the roof.

You enter the house from the north side through a large covered entrance built in the mid-1800s. On the south side, there is a stone terrace that stretches across the whole building. Steps lead down from the terrace to the lawns. The east side has a three-arched loggia that leads to the garden. The west side connects to the old laundry and kitchen garden.

The inside of the house was influenced by Inigo Jones, another famous architect. The work was done by his assistant, John Webb. The main rooms inside mostly date from around 1835. The hall has a high, curved ceiling with painted designs. The dining room has wood-paneled walls and beautiful tapestries. The library has a ceiling painting thought to be by Guido Reni. The main staircase is made of white marble. It has detailed carvings and statues of Sir John Bankes, Lady Bankes, and King Charles I.

The house is centrally located within its 164 hectares (about 405 acres) of grounds. It has 5 hectares (about 12 acres) of formal gardens and pleasure grounds. There are also wide avenues that spread out through the surrounding 159 hectares (about 393 acres) of parkland. Kingston Lacy is a Grade I listed building, recognized for its important history and design.

Amazing Collections at Kingston Lacy

Kingston Lacy is home to a very important collection of art and old artifacts. The Bankes family collected these items over many generations. One special room is called the Spanish Room. It is named for the paintings by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo that hang there. The walls are covered with beautiful gilded leather. This room was recently restored, which took five years and cost a lot of money.

The house also has many paintings of the Bankes family, going back over 400 years. Other important artworks include The Judgement of Solomon by Sebastiano del Piombo. There are also works by famous artists like Diego Velázquez, Anthony van Dyck, Titian, and Jan Brueghel the Younger. A portrait by Titian was found in the collection in 2008.

Besides the Spanish Room, the library is a very special place. On its wall hang the huge keys of the destroyed Corfe Castle. These keys were given back to Mary Bankes after she defended the castle during the Civil War. The state bedroom is very fancy. Important guests have stayed there, including Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, who visited in 1907.

Exploring the Gardens

The land around Kingston Lacy is recognized as a historic park and garden. It includes parkland developed in the 1600s, 1700s, and 1800s. It also has formal gardens and pleasure grounds from the late 1800s. The estate covers about 159 hectares (393 acres) of parkland and 5 hectares (12 acres) of gardens. The land gently slopes towards the southwest. The Iron Age hillfort of Badbury Rings is also part of the estate. A piece of the Roman road from Dorchester to Old Sarum also runs through the property.

The estate has two main entrances on Blandford Road. Each entrance has a lodge and a fancy gate. The wide driveways lead to a turning area near the north side of the house. The park is mostly pastureland with trees planted to create beautiful views. There are also two water features northeast of the house.

The formal gardens are close to the house. There are also informal pleasure grounds to the southeast. Two famous features are the Cedar Walk and the Lime Walk. These are grand avenues of trees south of the house. There is also a wooded area called Blind Wood. A terrace in front of the house has decorative urns and vases. It overlooks a large lawn. Other garden features include a Victorian fernery and a sunken garden. To the west, there is a rose garden with a circular lawn in the middle. The old kitchen garden is now a commercial nursery.

Kingston Lacy house and its gardens are open to the public. In 2019, about 410,000 people visited this amazing historic site.