Pictures of Lacock

About Lacock

Gatherings of graceful medieval houses line the streets of Lacock - a Cotswold village that is entirely owned by the National Trust and exhudes with all the atmosphere of a gracious by-gone age. This is one of the most beautiful villages in England, it has a delightful blend of properties that date from the 15th to the 18th-century.

Like many of the great Cotswold villages, Lacock has it's roots frmley embeded in Saxon times but it was the Normans who built the early church of St.Cyriac. During the 14th and 15th-centuries St.Cyriac's was rebuilt in Cruciform style, it has a west tower and spire. It has a lofty nave with a traceried window above the chancel. The north-east chapel was built in 1430 and has a noted lierne-vault with pendents that contains a magnificent monument to Sir William Sharington who died in 1553. Following the dissolution, Sir William aquired Lacock Abbey and converted it into his family home. Interestingly, Lacock Abbey was originally founded in the 13th-century as a nunnery, by Ela, Countess of Salisbury. Worthy of note is the fact that Ela, was the one and only female sheriff of Wiltshire! Sir William retained the original features of the Abbey and some still remain, the house was only altered to the Gothic style in the mid-18th-century. This fine historic house rewards the visitor with glimpses of many treasures.

Visitors wandering Lacock's streets never fail to be anything other than enchanted by the rich compliment of gorgeous buildings, at every turn, a camera is brought out and photographs are taken of Whitewashed, half timbered houses squashed between stone and brick cottages. High Street is a veritable feast, Porch House is a beautiful timber framed house that has two gables and close-set uprights in it's timber frame. The Red Lion Hotel is of mellow brick and dates from the 18th-century. A 14th-century barn with wonderful curved timbers can be seen in East Street.

Lacock Abbey eventually passed to William Henry Fox Talbot and it was at the Abbey that he carried out experiments into photography. On display in the Abbey is his first recognisable photograph, which is, as you would expect, of Lacock Abbey. Some of his work and equipment can be seen in the museum in the 16th-century barn at the gates of the Abbey. It was William's granddaughter who graciously presented the village of Lacock and the beautiful Abbey to the National Trust.

Some scenes from several romantic films have been shot in Lacock; these include; Emma, Pride and Preudice and Moll Flanders.

Lacock is almost devoid of 21st-century trappings, it is a place of sheer enchantment that provides the visitor with an enjoyable trip into the past.