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Lacock Abbey in the village of Lacock, Wiltshire, England. It was founded in the early 13th century by Ela, Countess of Salisbury, as a nunnery, as a nunnery of the Augustinian order. 

The abbey remained a nunnery until the suppression of Roman Catholic institutions in England in the 16th century; it was then sold to Sir William Sharington who converted the convent into a residence where he and his family lived.

The village is picturesque and looks almost exactly like it did 200 years ago. Whilst there is not much to do in itself, it’s a lovely place to wander around and there are plenty of photo opportunities.

Lacock is best accessed by car, although there is limited parking, it’s signposted from the A350, Chippenham – Poole. The village is still very much lived in and visitors are asked to respect residents and park in designated areas only.

There are cycle racks, a network of footpaths should you wish to walk, and the nearest stations are Chippenham and Melksham – both are about 3 miles away.

During the English Civil War, the house was garrisoned by Royalists. It was fortified by surrounding it with earthworks.

The garrison surrendered on agreed terms to Parliamentarian forces under the command of Colonel Devereux, Governor of Malmesbury, within days of Oliver Cromwell’s capture of the nearby town of Devizes in late September 1645.

The house eventually passed to the Talbot family. It is most often associated with amateur scientist and inventor William Henry Fox Talbot. In 1835, he made what may be the earliest surviving photographic camera negative.

An interior view of the oriel window in the south gallery of the abbey. Talbot’s experiments eventually led to his invention of the more sensitive and practical calotype or Talbotype paper.

This was the negative process for camera use, commercially introduced in 1841.

The abbey and village are open to visitors and remain a popular filming location due to their unspoiled appearance.

1. Fortified and Loyal

Photo by Wikimedia Commons –  

It was fortified and remained loyal to the crown during the English Civil War, but surrendered to the Parliamentary forces once Devizes had fallen in 1645.

2. Part of a National Trust

Lacock Abbey and Village form part of a National Trust-owned and extremely well-preserved area of North Wiltshire countryside.

Lacock Abbey and the Fox Talbot Museum are owned by the National Trust today: the abbey is particularly atmosphere and well worth visiting. There are frequent or exhibitions of various film props from series or films that have been shot at Lacock.

3. Recorded in the Domesday Book

Photo by Wikimedia Commons –  

The village Lacock is recorded in the Domesday Book. It was later a planned medieval time and the grid layout used is still evident today.

4. Founder Ela Countess of Salisbury

Lacock Abbey was founded in April 1232, by Ela Countess of Salisbury and High Sheriff of Salisbury, one of the most powerful women of her day. Six years later, she took holy orders and became a nun, and was made Abbess of Lacock in 1240.

Some of what is visible today are Ela’s original design, a rare example of medieval monastic architecture.

5. Changed Ownership to Sir William Sharington

Photo by Wikimedia Commons –  

Following the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the abbey was purchased by Sir William Sharington, who turned the remnants of the building (including the cloister) into a country house in Italian Renaissance style.

6. Transformed in the 18th century

Photo by Wikimedia Commons –  

The house and grounds were transformed again in the 18th century, this time by John Ivory Talbot, who added various Gothic features.

His grandson was the pioneering photographer William Fox Talbot, and Lacock houses a Fox Talbot museum today in recognition of his association with the place.

7. Fox Talbot and Village Residents

Fox Talbot also provided a school for village residents from 1824, which had accommodation for up to 100 pupils, this lasted until the 1960s, when declining numbers stopped it from being tenable.

8. Matilda Talbot

The house later passed into the hands of the Talbot family, and during the 19th century was the residence of William Henry Fox Talbot. In 1835 he made what may be the earliest surviving photographic camera negative, an image of one of the windows.

In 1944 artist Matilda Theresa Talbot gave the house and the surrounding village of Lacock to the National Trust. The abbey houses the Fox Talbot Museum, devoted to the pioneering work of William Talbot in the field of photography.

The Trust markets the abbey and village together as “Lacock Abbey, Fox Talbot Museum & Village”. The abbey is a Grade I listed building, having been so designated on 20 December 1960.

9. Lacock Abbey Well Planned Layout 

The east front looks more medieval than the other sides but probably dates from about 1900. However, the south end cross-wing appears to be mostly sixteenth century.

To the north of the house stands the well-preserved sixteenth-century stable courtyard. This has timbered gabled dormer windows and a tall clock tower at the west side of its northern range.

These buildings have mullion windows and Tudor arched doorways. Also beside the courtyard is the brewhouse, one of the oldest in Britain, and the bakehouse.

The two lodges are from the seventeenth century and the carriage houses are from the eighteenth century.

10. Lacock Abbey Today

The Fox Talbot Museum forms part of the ground floor. It celebrates the life of William Henry Fox Talbot, and his contributions to photography.

It includes exhibits on the man himself, and, his mousetrap camera. The wife called it so because he scattered the little wooden boxes around the house.

The chemical processes involved in obtaining images and the early history of photography. Exhibitions showing the works of various photographers are sometimes held in a gallery on the first floor.

The Fenton Collection, a historic photographic collection, was transferred to the museum from the British Film Institute in 2017.