Probus Trip to Kingston Lacy

SELF-DRIVE TRIP TO KINGSTON LACY – Report by Stephen Thair

Seventeen members and guests enjoyed an excellent day out to the National Trust property at Kingston Lacy, near Wimborne in Dorset on 26th June. Unfortunately Chris Perkins who had kindly organised the expedition, was indisposed and unable to go.

The House dates mostly from the 1700-1800s and is a “nice size” and set in attractive grounds and gardens. The Bankes family who had owned the estate before donating it to the National Trust had furnished the house with many paintings, including some by Rubens and Titian. One member of the Bankes family had lived in Venice, and sent back paintings and furniture from Italy, including a painted ceiling – the painting (on canvas) dates from the 1600s and was purchased in Italy, taken down from its original location, and shipped to England and then fixed to the ceiling of one of the rooms in the house.

There are two singularly unpleasant paintings each side of the magnificent staircase, which were apparently previously hung in the dining room, and would not have been conducive to enjoyable dining!

Not far from the House is a large stable block which in the best NT tradition, now has the café in it, and some of us gravitated there initially for a coffee.

The grounds include a splendid Japanese Garden, which has a Tea Garden within it.

There are four decorated boxes on poles as you go through the garden, and they contain postcards and stamps (not postage) and ink so you can make your own small Japanese-style painting as you proceed through by stamping your card at each box.

After passing through the Japanese Garden, you reach the kitchen garden which is very extensive with a lot of greenhouses and a café, and must have produced large quantities of vegetables for the big house in its day.

There was plenty to see and enjoy and thanks go to Chris Perkins for arranging the trip.

Stephen Thair