The replacement for Corfe Castle: Kingston Lacy

Shortly after the restoration of the British monarchy in 1660, the Bankes family built a replacement for the castle ruined during the Civil War. This new house. with fine views over the surrounding countryside, was built on land a few miles to the west of Wimborne Minster in Dorset.

Most of the house today is the product of alterations made in the late 18th century and those made in the early Victorian era by Charles Barry. Barry was to become best known for his later role in the reconstruction of the Palace of Westminster.

This photo shows the house's south facade and also offers a glimpse of the loggia of the Italianate east facade.


This photo is the winner among several taken by me today, largely by virtue of its dramatic cloud background. In addition, a visitor's coat provides a little touch of red to the scene.


ADDITIONAL ARCHITECTURAL NOTE:

The original building, then called Kingston House, had an exterior in red brick. My last October photo of Bothmer's palace in Mecklenburg, built in the early 18th century in the British style, shows a building similar in colour and look to the Bankes' original house.

Imagine today's Kingston Lacy south facade in Bothmer's red brick with stone quoins, an unfussy two-storey building. Its domestic servants quarters were presumably in the attic, as witnessed then by four regularly spaced dormer windows in the pitched roof. There were no chimney stacks to adorn the corners of the house.