Once forming part of the Royal Duchy of Lancaster, Kingston Lacy was recognised as an important centre over 1,000 years ago, but evidence of much earlier settlements can still be seen on the vast estate. Sir John Bankes, a highly reputable lawyer and MP, purchased the estate and medieval manor house at Kingston Lacy, together with Corfe Castle in the 1630s, intending to use the castle as his family home. As a strong supporter of the Royalist cause during the Civil War, Bankes suffered severely, losing much of the family fortune and having his newly created home at Corfe reduced to ruins.

By 1663 Sir Ralph Bankes, like his father an eminent lawyer and MP, had managed to restore their wealth and secure the estate. Moreover, he then commissioned Sir Roger Pratt to build a new ancestral home to replace the devastated castle that his mother had tried so bravely to defend. Kingston Hall was designed as a straightforward rectangular building of brick, incorporating some classical features, but nothing too fussy or grand. Less than 10 years later Sir Ralph was seriously in debt and, on his death, his son had to let the comfortable new house to a tenant in order to raise much-needed funds. Eventually the family were able to return to Kingston Hall and, despite fluctuating fortunes, remained there for the next three centuries. During the 1780s the house underwent extensive remodelling and modernisation, following the plans submitted by Robert Furze Brettingham, but this work was superseded by Sir Charles Barry's transformation just 50 year's later.

William John Bankes, born in 1786, was the 'gypsy' of the family preferring to spend his time travelling, exploring, and having fun with his arty friends. This romantic lifestyle took him on several European tours in the company of Lord Byron, his greatest friend, and other adventures in Egypt and the Middle East where he became fascinated with architecture and antiquities. It was in January 1819 that Bankes first met the young Charles Barry at the temple of Rameses in Abu Simbel, and from that day they established a mutual admiration for each other's talents which resulted in the later building work at Bankes' family properties.

Completely encased in Chilmark stone, tall chimneys, dormers and a cupola added to the roofline, the new look home of William Bankes was renamed Kingston Lacy. Internally the restoration work was based on designs seen in many of Inigo Jones' buildings, as well as some splendid features that Bankes had come across first-hand in Rome. The impressive marble staircase was Bankes' pride and joy, along with the fabulous Spanish Room that took him nearly 20 years to complete. Lavish in the extreme, with painted leather on the walls and giltwork adorning the ceiling, these luxurious subdued tones offered the perfect setting for his exceptional collection of Spanish paintings.

Displaying an abundance of marble throughout the internal decoration, enhanced by plasterwork ceilings, superb bronze sculptures and a host of family portraits, Kingston Lacy is the kind of property that takes time to really appreciate for its detail and its history. After investigating the house to satisfy a certain curiosity about the various members of the Bankes' family who have occupied Kingston Lacy for the last 350 years, the beautiful gardens sporting their ancient Egyptian monuments will remind the visitor of the bachelor antiquarian-cum-architect who was largely responsible for the present day house.