Kingston Lacy 17.7.25
We are having two nights away staying at the Christchurch Harbour Hotel which has a lovely location adjacent to the water’s edge of the Harbour. The first night we dined in the Top Deck outdoors given the excellent weather. On the second evening we dined outside The Jetty restaurant immediately on the edge of the water. The food in both was excellent. The noise inside the Jetty restaurant was impossible – it was simply too loud and Jackie got us moved outside. There was a nice breeze but it was not cold. We had the opportunity to watch a sailboarder who seemed unable to change direction and falling into the water every time he was in front of us.
Gold Room 17.7.25
On the full day in Dorset we drove over to Kingston Lacy which is just outside Wimborne. Prior to the original house here the Bankes family had lived at Corfe Castle but were on the wrong side (at the time) and it was largely destroyed by the Roundheads. So they made Kingston Lacy their new home. In 1834 William John Bankes inherited and decided to remodel the property with the exterior reclad in Chilmark stone. A collection of Spanish paintings in a “golden room” and a Philae obelisk from Egypt. In 1841 he undertook voluntary exile in Venice but continued to add to his collection which were sent to the house with display instructions.
Japanese Garden 17.7.25
The house and grounds were the richest ever gift to the National Trust bequeathed in 1981 and it is simply not possible for us to cover all of the grounds but we do visit the Japanese Garden within Henrietta’s garden as much effort has been undertaken in the last 20 years to restore it. Henrietta Bankes was the wife of Walter Ralph Bankes who was chatelaine during the First World War.