Lacock Abbey

Although Lacock is one of the most beautiful villages in all of England, it doesn't take long to visit almost every inch of it. If you plan an entire day out in Lacock you might be straining yourself for things to do. However, any trip to Lacock is not complete until you've visited the vast grounds of Lacock Abbey. 

Lacock is home to one of the most interesting abbeys I have visited in England. Looking more like an estate rather than a religious institution, Lacock Abbey has a very unique history. Founded in 1229 by the Countess of Salisbury as a tribute to her deceased husband, Lacock Abbey was built to be a nunnery. During Henry VIII's dissolution of religious institutions, he found Lacock to be too small to pose any sort of threat. He left the abbey alone, asking Sir William Sharington, the owner of the property at the time, to destroy only the chapel. Since then, the abbey has been used as an estate for many noble families, the Talbots being the most prominent in its recent history. In 1835, William Henry Fox Talbot used the abbey as the setting of the very first photographic negative. Today, the abbey is a National Trust property, the grounds stretching for as far as you can see. It has been used as the set for most Harry Potter movies as well as the Other Boleyn Girl (which I find to be terribly amusing and ironic). 

Happy Wednesday!
xoxo

A Country Walk | Lacock, England

Sometimes your feet just take you to new and exciting places. On our trip to Lacock, Elle and I found ourselves wandering out of the village and through the fields. Accompanied only by the sheep, we found ourselves completely immersed in the English country. 

The only regret of this little trip? Not wearing my Wellies.

Happy Saturday!
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Lacock Village

Just a quick taxi ride down the road from Chippenham lies a quiet, quintessentially English village called Lacock. Located away from any trainlines, Lacock has escaped the Victorian expansion that happened to nearby towns such as Bradford-upon-Avon and Bath. Lacock is essentially a village frozen in time, despite it now being a major tour bus stopping point. 

If you have never heard of Lacock, don't worry, you've seen it before. You've seen it in Harry Potter, Pride and Prejudice (the Colin Firth one of course), and Emma. But the village's history is far more impressive. An established town by 1086 with an abbey on its outskirts by 1232, Lacock was a thriving  medieval wool industry town. However, as the river began to dry up in the 18th century, Lacock essentially stopped growing. The town itself is left much as it was during the decline of its wool industry in the 1700s. Nowadays, the entire village is owned by the National Trust. Priority of living is given to families who can prove their family lineage to the town. 

10 points to your house if you name the Harry Potter movie this house was used in. 50 points if you know who was staying in it. 

Happy Wednesday!

xoxo