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Kingston Lacy Accessibility

Location: Dorset

Client: National Trust

Architect: DHV Architects; Land Use Consultants

Value: £3.6m

Kingston Lacy is a Grade I listed country mansion built between 1663 and 1665 to designs by Sir Roger Pratt and later remodelled by Sir Charles Barry in the 1830s.

The project required the introduction of modern visitor facilities within a highly sensitive historic park and garden landscape as part of the National Trust’s Accessibility for All programme. Any new infrastructure had to respect the character of the Grade I listed mansion and its surrounding estate while improving accessibility for visitors. The site topography, drainage conditions and existing flooding issues also required careful management. In addition, the new Visitor Centre and parking areas needed to integrate discreetly within the landscape without detracting from key views. substantial stable block was added in 1880 by Thomas Henry Wyatt. Once home to the Bankes family for nearly 350 years, the estate is now managed by the National Trust and forms part of a wider historic landscape.

The project required the introduction of modern visitor facilities within a highly sensitive historic park and garden landscape as part of the National Trust’s Accessibility for All programme. Any new infrastructure had to respect the character of the Grade I listed mansion and its surrounding estate while improving accessibility for visitors. The site topography, drainage conditions and existing flooding issues also required careful management. In addition, the new Visitor Centre and parking areas needed to integrate discreetly within the landscape without detracting from key views.

The scheme has been designed to improve arrival and visitor orientation and facilities across the estate.

A new contemporary visitor reception building was constructed using a steel frame with a timber joist roof and a high-performance envelope finished in metal cladding. The building was partially embedded into the slope and angled in plan to sit naturally within the landscape. A concrete raft foundation with in-situ retaining walls supported the new superstructure. Existing ancillary buildings were carefully converted into visitor support facilities including wc’s and changing facilities. The car park, which frequently experienced flooding, has been rationalised to improve legibility and manoeuvrability and comprises a permeable construction to mitigate surface water flooding through infiltration.

The completed works significantly improved accessibility and visitor circulation across the estate.

A reconstructed car park and access road were designed on a chalk substrate to maximise sustainable drainage, reducing previous flooding issues while enhancing the landscape setting. Accessible pathways now link the parking areas directly to the visitor reception, improving arrival experience for all visitors. The discreet contemporary building successfully complements the historic estate while supporting increased visitor numbers.

Project Categories

New Buildings Education Country Houses Historic Parks & Gardens Commercial Residential Ancient Monuments Ecclesiastical Agricultural & Industrial Post-Fire Restoration

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