To the residents of Dorset, the word “snowdrops” has become synonymous with one place — the beautiful gardens at Kingston Lacy house At this time of year, the woodland areas, including the original Lime Walk, are swathed in a sea of white, as the dainty blooms poke their heads through the earth to signal the first signs of spring.

But the gardens are, in fact, a riot of colour throughout the seasons, as the shades change from white, to the blue of bluebells, then to the yellow of the 40,000 daffodils planted each year, before giving way to a riot of colour from the herbaceous borders, followed by the glorious golds and oranges of autumn.

Of course, it’s not all about the gardens – the house itself is also well worth a visit, with a wealth of artefacts on show from the Bankes family’s worldwide travels, rooms of “Edwardian clutter”, and fabulous collections of paintings to discover.

The roots of the now National Trust-owned Kingston Lacy estate, which covers 8.5 acres and includes Badbury Rings, two villages, 12 farms and 100-odd cottages, go back to the civil war.

Constructed from 1663 to 1665 as Kingston Hall the property’s creations was overseen by Ralph Bankes, the eldest son of Sir John Bankes, who was attorney general to King Charles I and previously lived at nearby Corfe Castle until its destruction in the English Civil War.

The property passed through the generations and saw several remodels before Ralph Bankes’s great-grandson, William John Bankes gave the house its Italian palace appearance which has mostly been restored today.

William John played a huge part in the estate’s history, and most of the antiques and artefacts currently on display are part of his own collection. It is thanks to him that the house boasts the largest individual collection of Egyptian antiques in the world, including the Philae obelisk which stands prominently in the grounds.

The entire estate was bequeathed to the National Trust in 1981, following the death of Ralph Bankes, the seven times greatgrandson of the original creator Sir Ralph Bankes. He had realised his two children did not wish to inherit Kingston Lacy, and was concerned it would be broken up for death duties. It was the largest bequest ever received by the National Trust.

Ever since, the organisation has overseen a huge project to restore the house and gardens to its former glory and to share the Kingston Lacy story with visitors from all over the country.

Local National Trust associations have helped fund different projects from restoring the clock to the blinds for the orchid house and seats in the garden.

It first opened its gates to the public in 1985, when the locals flocked to see what had been behind the trees for all those years.

“Nobody had ever seen inside it,” explains outdoors manager Nigel Chalk.

“That nosy factor was huge to begin with. Nobody knew about the art collection and the history – at the time it was just to see what was in there.

“I think in the first year, we had about 50,000 people. It continued to grow to nearly 300,000 visitors a year – and growing.”

Over time, those first visitors realised there was more to explore, and returned to discover more about the house and gardens.

The snowdrops in February are swiftly followed by bluebells, daffodils, a collection of rhododendrons and azaleas mixed with camellias, then spring flowering cherry trees, herbaceous borders – the list goes on throughout the year.

“We’ve got fantastic autumn colour,” adds head gardener Andrew Hunt.

“We’ve got about 250 different types of acer. The Japanese garden was restored ten years ago, thanks to funding from the Gordon Bulmer Trust, which also helps with its continued maintenance, so every year it’s getting better.”

Andrew and his team take care of all areas of the gardens, including the 250 acres of parkland, with their huge cedar trees; Lime Avenue, which was originally planted in around 1660; Lady Walk, home to the largest Japanese garden in the country; more than 100 community allotments and the Kitchen Garden, which was once famous in its own right.

“Queen Victoria used to send her own gardeners from Kew Gardens down to this garden for training purposes,” explains Andrew.

The garden was largely influenced by Henrietta Bankes, the mother of the estate’s last owner. She added much of the colour and more feminine touches seen today in the Lady Walk display and in the Kitchen Garden.

“It was their own garden,” explains Andrew.

“If you were invited as a guest, you wouldn’t see that. It was their own escape, their own back garden. It was quite intimate, very English country garden. We are slowly restoring it.”

The team are also slowly putting more of the Bankes archives on show at the house.

“ We are in the process of changing a couple of rooms to reflect William Bankes’ vision,” explains assistant house steward Bernie King.

The John Bankes exhibition runs until the March, and staff and volunteers are currently suggesting pieces for a new display entitled Our Favourite Things.

From now until the end of February, visitors can also explore Kingston Lacy’s own Home Farm for the first time.

“The family were very self-sufficient,” says Nigel, “we are trying to write the whole story of what Kingston Lacy is.”

• nationaltrust.org.uk/kingston-lacy, 01202 883402.