HAVING been born in Dorset and lived here all my life it’s easy to take for granted the historic, beautiful and interesting places on your doorstep.

I recently visited Kingston Lacy house and gardens and found the house to be very interesting as there are four floors to visit packed with beautiful paintings worth millions of pounds, furniture, etc.

However, if you are planning to visit don’t go on a Monday or Tuesday as the house visits are restricted to one or two state rooms only and timed tickets by availability. The rest of the week from a Wednesday to Sunday you can explore all four floors at your leisure.

Sir John Banks was the Attorney General and Chief Justice to Charles 1, in the English Civil War during which, after a long siege, Corfe castle was destroyed. (Sir John Banks' wife Dame Mary Banks was allowed to leave the castle, taking the castle keys with her.).

The original keys to Corfe Castle are displayed on one of the walls in the house, hence the link between Corfe Castle and Kingston Lacy.

After Corfe castle was destroyed the descendants of the Banks family built Kingston Lacy in the style of an Italianate architecture which was popular at the time.

Kingston Lacy is a delightful place to visit as, apart from the house, there isare extensive grounds to enjoy a large lawn area at the back of the house together with a woodland walk, Japanese garden and kitchen garden.

Plenty to do for the children – tractor peddle cycles in the kitchen gardens, together with pigs and various other animals that vary from time to time. On the Woodland walk there are play trails for the children to explore with many activities to enjoy.

The restaurant and courtyard have ample seating to enjoy a lunch, cream tea, etc.

Access for the disabled is good with both wheelchairs and mobility scooters available at no charge, so all can enjoy.

Nigel Sibley

Barn Road, Broadstone