Lacock Abbey in England attracts Harry Potter fans and photography buffs on a quest for mystery and history in this lovely corner of Wiltshire.
The History of Lacock Abbey
Located 15 miles from Bath and 100 miles from London, Lacock Abbey was founded in 1232 as a nunnery by the Countess of Salisbury. She was Lacock’s first abbess until her death in 1261.
When King Henry VIII broke with the Roman Catholic Church, he ordered the monasteries, abbeys, and convents to be closed (known as the Dissolution of the Monasteries).
Lacock (pronounced Lay-cock) was sold to Sir William Sharington for £730 in 1540. Rather than destroy the cloisters, which date from the 1400s, Sharington built the Tudor mansion as a second story above the cloisters, effectively preserving them.
Lacock Abbey Cloisters
For the photography buffs, you will love the unearthly quality of the abbey. Knowing the abbey is centuries old is one thing; feeling it is another, especially the dirt floors in the medieval rooms.
For the Harry Potter fans, Lacock Abbey was a filming location for Sorcerer’s Stone, Chamber of Secrets, and Half-Blood Prince. The cloisters and vaulted rooms at Lacock Abbey add to the mystery of the corridors and classrooms at Hogwarts.
Despite serving as Professor Quirrell’s classroom for the Harry Potter films, this cauldron is not a movie prop. Dating from the 1500s, the cauldron is located in the Warming Room where a fire would have been lit in the cauldron during the winter.
The Chapter House at Lacock Abbey was a meeting place for prayer, reading, and discussion. Each day, a chapter would be read out to the community of Augustinian nuns.
The Fox Talbot Museum at Lacock Abbey
Sir William Sharington was succeeded by his brother Henry in 1553, whose daughter Olive married John Talbot, a descendant of the Countess of Salisbury who founded the abbey.
In 1714, Lacock was inherited by John Ivory Talbot who altered the Tudor mansion to suit the Gothic Revival architecture of his time. William Henry Fox Talbot inherited Lacock in 1800 when he was only 5 months old. As a young man, Fox Talbot was interested in botany, chemistry, and mathematics. When Fox Talbot visited Italy in 1833, he captured images with pencil and paint. But he wondered about the possibility for images to “remain fixed upon the paper.”
Fox Talbot made history in 1835 by creating a photographic negative – not much larger than a postage stamp – of a latticed window at Lacock Abbey. A print was made from this image which is the earliest surviving photographic negative.
In 1966, William Henry Fox Talbot was inducted into the International Photography Hall of Fame. The Fox Talbot Museum at Lacock Abbey celebrates his photographic achievements and hosts photography exhibits and programs.
Lacock Abbey Garden While Lacock Abbey lacks a formal garden, the Botanic Garden is still worth a visit.
When William Henry Fox Talbot lived at Lacock Abbey, he converted the former stable yard into a botanic garden.
Fox Talbot collected many Mediterranean plants, including bulbs such as alliums.
After Fox Talbot’s death in 1877, the garden gradually declined until 2000, when the National Trust used an old estate map to plot new flower beds and borders.
About Lacock Abbey
In November and December, the Great Hall at Lacock Abbey is decorated for Christmas. In the cloisters, the Community Christmas Tree Festival displays Christmas trees decorated by local community groups. Visit the Lacock Abbey website for hours and tickets.
Is Lacock Abbey free to National Trust members? If you are a National Trust member, you enjoy free parking and free entry to Lacock Abbey. Is Lacock Abbey dog friendly? For assistance dogs with identifying tags, yes. Otherwise, depending on the time of year and where you go at Lacock Abbey, you may be able to walk your dog in the garden. Amenities: Lacock Abbey has a tea room and café, a plant shop, and a secondhand bookshop. Restrooms are located within the courtyard in the abbey grounds and by the Stables café. The National Trust gift shop is located in Lacock Village. Pubs near Lacock Abbey: The Red Lion (1 High Street, Lacock) is located less than 500 feet from Lacock Abbey. This 18th century pub has something for everyone – from burgers and steak to pasta and pub classics like beer-battered haddock. Of course, Harry Potter fans may prefer the Sign of the Angel (6 Church Street, Lacock), located 0.2 miles from Lacock Abbey. This 15th century pub served as the Babberton Arms in The Half-Blood Prince. In addition to burgers, ciabattas, and curry, the Sign of the Angel offers a Cake of the Day. Lacock Abbey address: Lacock, near Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN15 2LG Nearest train stations to Lacock Abbey: Melksham (3 miles) and Chippenham (3½ miles) Comments are closed.
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