Saturday 8 August 2009

Lacock Village, Wiltshire Pt.7

It was to visit Lacock that first had me thinking of spending time in Wiltshire. The picturesque village with its many lime-washed, half-timbered stone houses, dates from the
13th century and has been seen in many TV and film productions, including the BBC series The Cranford Chronicles, Pride & Predjudice, Emma and some of the Harry Potter films, The Mayor of Casterbridge and The Other Boleyn Girl.

The Abbey is at the heart of the village and was founded in
1232 and converted into a country house in 1540.Willian Henry Fox Talbot, the pioneer of modern photography lived here and his descendants gave the Abbey and the village to The National Trust in 1944.

For this post I am going to take you around the village and will show you the Abbey and more on Fox Talbot seperately.

Remember, this is not a film set but a place where people live and work. We enter the village having left the car in the car park. One can only take a car into the village if you are a resident, work here or are staying in one of the village hotels.










The village school




The village store









The Bakery where we had morning coffee






and the Tea Garden at the back




The George Inn where we had a very delicious lunch. This is the inn used in the Cranford series.




The BBC had only recently finished shooting a special Christmas edition of Cranford. I shall be looking forward to that as I do like the series very much and like the acting of Dame Judy Dench. Click on photo for more information.






























King John's Hunting Lodge, now a restaurant and tearoom and the oldest house in the village




















The village garden centre







St. Cyriac's church where we passed some time during a torrential rainstorm. The daughter of The Duchess of Cornwall, wife of Prince Charles, was recently married in this church so we spent some of the time looking through a photograph album of the wedding and guests, including the Princes William and Harry.






A ford across the river. This was the only way across these rivers in ancient times for horse and carriage

26 comments:

JC said...

Lovely Photos ... thanks so much for sharing

Tea Time With Melody said...

What would I do without your post! Surely I would die. lol I have been so backed up in blogging lately that when I got to yours I had to read every single one of them. What a fun trip you went on. I enjoyed it!

Sue said...

Barbara,
I was SO SAD to hear that my blog isn't able to be accessed by you...

I still plan on visiting yours often! I enjoy it so very much.

Anonymous said...

Oh Barbara, your post makes my heart sing. I so love those villages. I got to see some of the villages in New York when son lived there, but nothing so well preserved and so authentic looking. Your photography is great and adds so to the story. Thanks.
QMM

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful unspoilt place. I like how they are keeping the village unclogged of traffic. The limestone is making me feel quite homesick. It is a real joy to see such beautiful places. Thanks for sharing Barbara.

Tracy Golightly-Garcia said...

Barbara
Once again thank you for a lovely post and for sharing your pictures. I am learning so much and I know when I visit England I will have so much to see and learn. What a beautiful part of England Witshire is.
Tracy :)

Winifred said...

What a lovely place Barbara. Nice to see that it has been saved from the ravages of idiotic planners prevalent in so many places here now. Your photos are lovely.

I read that they had been filming more Cranford. Something to look forward to this winter!

Patsy said...

Thanks for the tour.
Patsy

Sara at Come Away With Me said...

Thank you for the tour! Oh, I am eager to see that Christmas edition of Cranford! Hope they also show it over here in the states this Christmas.

Betty said...

Barbara,

I know it's been awhile since I've visited with you...I do apologize...

Thank you for your good wishes and prayers for Edward...they have been felt...

God Bless...Betty

Deanna said...

Wish I could drop in for morning coffee at the Bakery!
What a quaint place to visit and walk to see the sites.
Blessings,
d

Annie Jeffries said...

Barbara, I have been thoroughly enjoying my rambles with you through all of these lovely towns and villages. Thank you so much for sharing these travels.

Needled Mom said...

It is such a charming town. I love the tea room garden, the garden center and the clock on the door. Thank you for sharing.

Kim said...

So wonderful! I thought of Cranford as I was looking at these pics. Little did I know! I love Cranford and can't wait for part 2! Thank you for taking your readers to so many beautiful places, Barbara! I envy you!

Bernideen said...

LOvely photo's - I want to have tea at King John's!

Charm and Grace said...

Thanks for this post, especially the Cranford picture. What beautiful vignettes in those photos. I have seen the video at my local library, but I wouldn't pick it up because I didn't know anything about it. I enjoy watching Judi Dench, as well, so I am looking forward to getting it now.

Blessings,
Christi

IngunnBW said...

I ran into your blog by 'accident', what a luck! I really adore and love old english picturesque villages like this. And the gardens are really beautiful. I love the charming english cottage graden style. (I'm quit a garden nerd...) I'm pleased to learn that this wonderful village is the scene for the beloved tv series you mention. 'Cranford' I find very amusing, I started to watch the series because I love the surroundings from old times. And here I find the real village. :) Next time I travel in England Lacock Village is going to be the main issue :)

Barb said...

Hi Barbara,

O.K, I am ready to move there. It has a magical look. Just beautiful.

Thank you for swinging by and wishing the kids a happy anniversary.
Happy anniversary to your daughter and her hubby as well.

I have missed visiting. I hope to visit more in the future.

hugs,
Barb

Willow said...

I can just see all those Austen girls walking around the village! What a fascinating place to visit! I'm trying to decide if I'd prefer to run the bakery and tea shop or the garden shop.

Anonymous said...

It was so nice waking up this morning an visiting your blog. I loved the trip. I would have stayed longer at the tea garden. Love teas and gardens.

Willow

kreativehaende said...

what a wonderful romantic village! I can see the Bennett sisters strolling down the street....
and Emma and Harriet looking for Mr. Elton....
thank you for sharing your photos.
kind regards from Germany,
Waltraud

Kim S in SC said...

I love visiting your site. Visiting all these beautiful places by way of your pictures! Thanks!

Kate said...

Oh wouldn't it be wonderful to be a villager there and get the chance to dress up in period costume - it would be almost like time travelling!

Judy said...

Although I am not familiar with the BBC series of which you speak...I am quite delighted to come on tour with you. What a lovely village.

Adrienne said...

Your photos are wonderful and, once again, they make me want to see this place in person - with you along to make it a special visit! Thanks for sharing your excursions. ~Adrienne~

a woman who is said...

Trying to catch up on blogging here.
These villages are just priceless. A new Cranford series, I can't wait. I just love those kind of BBC movies. Just my cup of tea :)