A NEW exhibition of outfits worn by a Kingston Lacy family will be unveiled at the Priest's House Museum and Garden in Wimborne next year, thanks to a £12,600 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The award will allow for some of the costumes, worn by the Bankes family from Kingston Lacy during the Victorian and Edwardian periods, to be conserved and displayed.

Walter Ralph Bankes (1853-1904), joined the Queen's Own Dorset Yeomanry in 1873 and there are a couple of photographs in the archive showing him in uniform.

In 1897, he married Henrietta Jenny Fraser, a famous beauty of Scots-Dutch descent, and they had three children, Henry John Ralph, Daphne and Viola.

A selection of their outfits will be chosen for the exhibition in the costume gallery at the Priest's House Museum.

The museum will also develop an online learning resource pack for schools, supporting children who visit the exhibition.

This will include background on the costume and the historical period, and a number of activities to be designed in consultation with local schools.

There will be a day event for children to talk to a conservator, discovering how old items are cared for and how they can look after their own toys.

And training will also be offered to volunteers who work with visiting schools and historical artefacts.

Emma Ayling from the Priest's House Museum said: "We are thrilled that the Heritage Lottery Fund has agreed to support this project.

"We are particularly excited and proud to be working with the National Trust.

"The work will enable us to engage with the local schools and encourage children to look after their toys. It will also allow the wider community to access an unseen historical collection."

A National Trust spokesman added: "It's a great opportunity to display items of the Bankes costume collection, which are rarely seen by the public.

"The project will also help to maintain a connection between the local Wimborne community and the Kingston Lacy estate and the Bankes family."