It rained half the night and it was still at it this morning so we decided that we would stay put as we were in a great spot. Around 9:30am we moved just a few kilometres away to the carpark of a National Trust property, Kingston Lacy. We waited until just after 10am to head in as the house didn’t open until 10:30am. (Non members £19). Built in the mid 1650’s by the Bankes family, it was remodelled as a Venetian Palace during the 1800’s.It was donated to the NT in 1981 and needed a lot of repair but all the furniture and paintings came with the property. It was an interesting house with some great detail and art work.
The stables that is now the cafeteria
The laundry
Notice the furnace to heat of the irons
The fireplace in the main entrance
The library with some fine paintings including the ceiling
The Drawing Room
The dining room that has an organ in it.
Some lovely wood carvings on the paneling
A beautiful ceiling.
The Spanish Room named after the paintings. The leather once was red with gold engraving.
Beautiful engraved inlay.
Ceiling was imported from Venice..
The Saloon with more paintings.
Very elaborate carvings on the bed.
Beautiful Marble staircase
Nice and bright bedroom.
The servants quarters with the bells
A bit of the ownership time line.
Maybe the most important room in the house …
William John Bankes had quite an Egyptian collection.
This is a model of the hospital buildings they built and used here during WWII.
After a couple of hours we had a quick snack at the cafeteria and then strolled through the lovely gardens.
Brussel sprouts plant.
As it was Sunday, we thought we would find a pub stay. We picked one 36km/40mins away, The Thimble Inn, in Piddlehinton just north of Dorchester.
We were not disappointed with the roast beef and Yorkshire pudding. Everything was delicious including the variety of vegetables.(£18.50 each) Although the local ales weren’t quite our thing. (£4.85per pint).We had a stroll through the quaint village with its Norman church and thatched roofed cottages to help the digestion.
Then settled in the carpark for the night which should be quiet as the pub closes at 5pm on a Sunday.
Only 40km today.
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