Historic Villages and Cathedrals of Wiltshire

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Overview

The Village of Lacock Photo - Lacock, England

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It was thoroughly impossible to see all the jewels that Wiltshire had to offer in the short timespan that we were there (only 1 1/2 days!). Of course, the neolithic standing stones of both Stonehenge and Avebury (reviewed in other journals) were on the agenda, but we also wanted to see a bit of the "modern" side of the shire as well. Of course, when I say modern, I mean buildings like Salisbury Cathedral (which was consecrated in 1258) and Lacock Abbey (which was built in 1229). Compared to the 5,000-year-old Stonehenge, these structures are positively young whipper-snappers!We visited the small village of Lacock completely on a whim. Our original plan was to head straight from Bristol, th...Read More

It was thoroughly impossible to see all the jewels that Wiltshire had to offer in the short timespan that we were there (only 1 1/2 days!). Of course, the neolithic standing stones of both Stonehenge and Avebury (reviewed in other journals) were on the agenda, but we also wanted to see a bit of the "modern" side of the shire as well. Of course, when I say modern, I mean buildings like Salisbury Cathedral (which was consecrated in 1258) and Lacock Abbey (which was built in 1229). Compared to the 5,000-year-old Stonehenge, these structures are positively young whipper-snappers!

We visited the small village of Lacock completely on a whim. Our original plan was to head straight from Bristol, through Devizes, to Stonehenge, and from there head into Salisbury for a look at the Cathedral and whatever else the town had to offer. However, on the way down the A350 from Chippenham, we saw a sign and decided to have a look (and I must admit, I was rather inspired by GB from Devizes' exceptional journal on the village).

The village dates back to the 13th century and seems to have stood still in time from the 18th century onwards, with the "minor" addition of paved roads and cars parked seemingly in front of every building you would like to take pictures of. Many of the houses are built of yellow Cotswold stone and, since the National Trust owns the village itself, these have been well kept up. It was a joy to just stroll the streets and be transported back in time. I could easily see why many films, like the 1995 version of Pride & Prejudice, had film sets here.

While Lacock is understated--small pieces that make up a beautiful whole--Salisbury Cathedral is quite the opposite. Sporting the tallest spire of any cathedral in the UK, Salisbury Cathedral is visible from miles around the city. In fact, the 404-foot-tall spire is the tallest surviving pre-1400 spire in the world, which is quite an achievement, given its many attempts to crush the building below with its massive 6000 ton weight. The inside of the building lives up to the spectacular promise of the outside, and it proved to be one of the most interesting cathedrals I have ever set foot in.

Quick Tips:

Do your research on Wiltshire before arriving, and do yourself a favor by visiting more than just the famed Stonehenge. The shire has so much to offer within its area (including plenty of tanks to run you over, according to road signs!) that it is a shame to not see as much as you can. Of course, it would take years to cover everything Wiltshire has to offer (as GB from Devizes' many journals attest).

Lacock is much better visited on a nice day, as the majority of its attraction is in walking through the village itself. You can spend some time indoors at the Abbey, but otherwise, it is all outdoors. The day I visited on was cold and gray, but not yet drizzling, so I wasn't miserable walking around. However, I would have liked to have seen the village's yellow stones glowing in the warm sunlight that conveniently arrived the day after we visited!

While Salisbury Cathedral looks stunning with its huge spire against a blue sky, it can be visited on a day with bad weather, as it is completely indoors. You can go outside in the courtyard of the cloisters, but you do not have to; you can easily get from the Cathedral to the Chapter House under full cover.

Walking around Lacock is free, although walking into and around the Abbey will cost you money, as described in that entry. Salisbury Cathedral operates on a donation system, where a visitor can make an "optional" donation before walking in. However, it is not as optional as one might think, with a huge ticket booth essentially blocking your way in; I did see one person bypass this booth and walk in while the attendant was not looking, but generally you will be asked for a donation if you try this. The donation isn't excessive--£5 for adults and £4.25 for students/seniors, and I felt that it was worth it to explore the medieval building. Plus, someone has to pay to help keep that spire towering over Salisbury's skyline!

Best Way To Get Around:

Getting to Salisbury is not difficult from London; simply jump on a train or a bus and you'll be there in less than two hours. I'm not exactly sure on the details of public transport to and from the city, as I was in my grandparents' car, but National%20Rail%20will%20be%20able%20to%20help%20on%20this%20front.Getting%20into%20Salisbury%20with%20your%20own%20car%20is%20a%20chore%20on%20its%20own.%20Central%20Salisbury%20is%20packed%20with%20cars,%20and%20in%20an%20effort%20to%20lessen%20traffic,%20park%20&%20rides%20have%20been%20added%20outside%20the%20city%20limits%20with%20a%20shuttle%20into%20Salisbury%20itself.%20The%20Salisbury District Council website details the four different locations (with a proposed fifth) around town that you can park at. The fare into town from these sights is £2 per car (with up to six people). This is not per hour parking; your ticket lets you park your car there all day. You don't have to worry about leaving your car far away in a lot full of cars waiting to be broken into because of the omnipresent 24-hour CCTV cameras watching the entire parking lot.

As we were not planning on staying in Salisbury for a huge amount of time and we really didn't want to get soaked walking around, Poppa drove us into Salisbury itself. The streets were difficult to get around because of pedestrians, traffic, and the roads' natural abilities to wind in the opposite direction from where we wanted to go. We finally found a car park that was about a 10-minute walk from the Cathedral and paid the £2 per hour fee.

I'm sure we could have gotten closer--in fact, I found the actual Cathedral parking lot on my walk and realized that it was both very small and very expensive--but our parking spot near the Red Lion Best Western was fine and the walk let me see more of Salisbury than I would have otherwise, including one of the old gates in the city wall.

Lacock is much more difficult to get to by public transport, as it is a small village; the nearest town is Chippenham, 4 miles up the A350. There are two car parks here. The one next to the Red Lion was free, if I'm not mistaken, but smaller; the further parking lot (near the Abbey grounds) will set you back £2 at most for the day. Read Less

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Premier Travel Inn

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Hotel

Premier Travel Inn Salisbury Photo - Salisbury, England

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After much research by my grandparents, our home for the night in Salisbury ended up being the Premier Travel Inn in the northeastern outskirts of town. They looked for something close to the center of Salisbury (something along the lines of a bed-&-breakfast or small hotel), but everything they found had no parking, or if there was parking, it was very far away (like in the park & ride very close to our hotel).While the Premier Travel Inn is a large chain and doesn't have quite the small homey feel of a bed-&-breakfast, it suited us just fine. A note about the Premier Travel Inn: it should not be confused with Travelodge, another large chain that is often found in services along t...Read More

After much research by my grandparents, our home for the night in Salisbury ended up being the Premier Travel Inn in the northeastern outskirts of town. They looked for something close to the center of Salisbury (something along the lines of a bed-&-breakfast or small hotel), but everything they found had no parking, or if there was parking, it was very far away (like in the park & ride very close to our hotel).

While the Premier Travel Inn is a large chain and doesn't have quite the small homey feel of a bed-&-breakfast, it suited us just fine. A note about the Premier Travel Inn: it should not be confused with Travelodge, another large chain that is often found in services along the motorway. We stayed in a Travelodge in Bristol (reviewed in my Three Peaks journal), and there was a big difference between my room there and my room in the Travel Inn...and one would hope this would be the case, since the cheapest rooms at the Travelodge are £26 a night, whereas the cheapest rooms at the Premier Travel Inn are £48!

First of all, I was not woken up in the middle of the night by shattering glass or anything of the sort. I left my window open but my room was pretty quiet, since the hotel was set away from the main road. The room was larger and I just had more space in general, especially in the bathroom. And, most importantly, the Premier Travel Inn actually provided a way to access the Internet. I mainly needed to access the Internet to let people know I had survived the Three Peaks Challenge, and the Travelodge in Bristol had promises of Internet, but after reading the small print I found out that this came at both a fee from Travelodge for each minute on the Internet plus I already had to have a dialup ISP.

Wireless Internet came at a bit of a price, which was to be expected, 30 minutes cost £3 and 2 hours cost £5, which is paid online with a credit card, through the Swisscom website, which is accessible for free (conveniently). However, after I paid my first £3, I found out that you can buy cards from the front desk at a discount, giving you 2 hours for £3.

The restaurant connected to the hotel was the Bishopsdown Brewer's Fare (Brewer's Fare being the chain that often accompanies Premier Travel Inns). I quite enjoyed my meal there (a gammon steak with chips), although the service left something to be desired. Nanna and Poppa ordered one of the tasty-sounding desserts only to not have it arrive at the table after at least 20 minutes, at which point we got it marked off the bill and left.

Overall, the hotel was a good value and even if it was a bit generic, I got a good night's sleep, and that's all I really ask for! Read Less

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on July 1, 2007

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Salisbury Cathedral

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Attraction | "Salisbury Cathedral: The West Front & The Font"

Imposing Salisbury Cathedral Photo - Salisbury Cathedral, Salisbury, England

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After paying my "optional" entry fee into the cathedral (see the Overview for more information), I walked in to see a stunning sight. Stretching in front of me was the vast body of the cathedral, the Nave and Quire leading off to the horizon and the ceilings towering high above me. These ceilings were beautifully vaulted, yet not overdone; they were not decked out in the obscene ornateness of, say, the Chapel Royal in Hampton Court. While Salisbury Cathedral is huge and definitely makes a statement, it is clear that it was designed for worship, rather than the people that would be doing the worshiping.The rows of plastic chairs filling the nave were only broken to make way for the Sibirica Min...Read More

After paying my "optional" entry fee into the cathedral (see the Overview for more information), I walked in to see a stunning sight. Stretching in front of me was the vast body of the cathedral, the Nave and Quire leading off to the horizon and the ceilings towering high above me. These ceilings were beautifully vaulted, yet not overdone; they were not decked out in the obscene ornateness of, say, the Chapel Royal in Hampton Court. While Salisbury Cathedral is huge and definitely makes a statement, it is clear that it was designed for worship, rather than the people that would be doing the worshiping.

The rows of plastic chairs filling the nave were only broken to make way for the Sibirica Minor Font in the center. This Font is actually a water sculpture designed by William Pye which is on loan to the cathedral. The first thing that struck me about the font was exactly what Pye himself said about it. He said, "The sculpture captures two states of water in one piece, contrasting its still reflective quality with the more animated overflowing spouts at each of the four corners." This is very true; the water in the font seemed to be completely still--so still that it perfectly reflected the ceilings and the stained glass of the cathedral in a way very difficult to capture on film. It was hard to believe that the cascading streams from each of its four corners could possibly be coming from such smooth water.

A sign near the font stated that the sculpture represented the "abundant grace of God given us in Baptism," and from what I understand, it has been used for quite a few baptisms since being installed in the cathedral in March, 2005. In fact, I was lucky enough to see a baptism while I was there, albeit, a slightly unconventional one. Two German women had two very unruly children that had obviously been kept inside most of the day due to rain; they were treating this house of God like it was a house of Ronald McDonald, climbing on anything they could. One little girl was armed with an umbrella, and when she saw the Font I swear she got a gleam in her eye before she ran up to it, popped open her umbrella, and stuck it underneath one of the falling streams of water. Not content that her umbrella had been fully baptized, she let it fill to the brims and overflow all over the stone floor of the nave. It was only then that the mother realized what was happening and ran over to whisk her away. Unfortunately, she didn't realize quite how much water her daughter had collected, and managed to soak both herself and the majority of the nave in the process. Needless to say, neither the mother nor the cathedral staff were very amused! Read Less

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on July 1, 2007

Salisbury Cathedral
The Close
Salisbury, England SP1 2EF
01722 555113

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Salisbury Cathedral

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Attraction | "Salisbury Cathedral: The Medieval Clock & The Nave"

Inside Salisbury Cathedral Photo - Salisbury Cathedral, Salisbury, England

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I actually missed the Medieval Clock on my first pass through the cathedral. Instead of taking the recommended route, which leads to the left of the nave, I walked up the center to the Sibirica Minor Font, which I have described in another review. I suppose I was so fascinated by it, so amused by the girl baptizing her umbrella in it, and so taken by the extraordinary expanse of the cathedral that I headed straight towards the Quire and completely skipped the clock.Even though it is not hugely exciting, I still wanted to see the oldest working clock in Europe, so when a kind man handed me his extra brochure (which I seemed to have missed getting at the front entrance) and I saw that it was beh...Read More

I actually missed the Medieval Clock on my first pass through the cathedral. Instead of taking the recommended route, which leads to the left of the nave, I walked up the center to the Sibirica Minor Font, which I have described in another review. I suppose I was so fascinated by it, so amused by the girl baptizing her umbrella in it, and so taken by the extraordinary expanse of the cathedral that I headed straight towards the Quire and completely skipped the clock.

Even though it is not hugely exciting, I still wanted to see the oldest working clock in Europe, so when a kind man handed me his extra brochure (which I seemed to have missed getting at the front entrance) and I saw that it was behind me, I retraced my steps and found the ancient contraption.

The clock had no face, being constructed no later than 1386 to simply toll each hour. It was a strange contraption of ropes, metal bars, and weights that I could not even begin to explain with my rudimentary knowledge of physics. It was slowly ticking away though, which after 625 years is not a bad accomplishment at all.

The clock sits to the left of the nave (when seen from the entrance at the West Front) near a miniature of the Cathedral. It used to have its own bell tower, but that was demolished in the late 1700s, so it is now just a showpiece.

I have already mentioned the nave in my West Front & The Font review, but it is worth mentioning again, being so gargantuan yet seeming so much more friendly than your average cathedral. The nave was brightly lit, courtesy of the Gothic lancet windows above the archways on each side of it. When I say brightly lit, I mean more than your average, dark and gloomy large church that makes you feel sad and tired if you spend any period of time inside (although it is quite possible this was the goal of church in the Middle Ages), but the dismal day outside wasn't doing us any favors.

An amazing thing about this cathedral is the fact that the vast majority of it was built all in one go. Most cathedrals have bits and pieces added on throughout a long period of time, each with a slightly different character and design, but Salisbury was built mostly within the 30-year timespan preceding its consecration in 1258. This was a huge task to take on and it is admirable that the builders constructed such a marvel--and the best example of Early English Gothic architecture in the country--in such a short period of time. The later add-ons to the cathedral were the Cloisters and Chapter House--built in the late 1200s--and the huge tower and spire that were added in the 1300s, which severely taxes the original structure of the Cathedral and adds some 6000 tons of weight for the pillars below to support! Read Less

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on July 1, 2007

Salisbury Cathedral
The Close
Salisbury, England SP1 2EF
01722 555113

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Salisbury Cathedral

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Attraction | "Salisbury Cathedral: The Prisoners of Conscience"

The High Altar Photo - Salisbury Cathedral, Salisbury, England

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Clearly the most distinct stained glass in Salisbury Cathedral, the Prisoners of Conscience windows are set in the walls behind the High Altar and immediately catch your attention as you walk into the cathedral near the West Front, 449 feet away. Their blazing sapphire pulled my attention away from the tall vaulted ceilings and everything else in my path; my eyes just seemed to naturally fixate on the brilliant blue light. As I got closer, the windows only became more fascinating, and they managed to work their way into nearly all of my pictures of the nave and Quire.These windows are a modern splash in the oldest part of the cathedral, the Trinity Chapel, and area recent replacement for stain...Read More

Clearly the most distinct stained glass in Salisbury Cathedral, the Prisoners of Conscience windows are set in the walls behind the High Altar and immediately catch your attention as you walk into the cathedral near the West Front, 449 feet away. Their blazing sapphire pulled my attention away from the tall vaulted ceilings and everything else in my path; my eyes just seemed to naturally fixate on the brilliant blue light. As I got closer, the windows only became more fascinating, and they managed to work their way into nearly all of my pictures of the nave and Quire.

These windows are a modern splash in the oldest part of the cathedral, the Trinity Chapel, and area recent replacement for stained glass blown out in World War II. The Prisoners of Conscience windows are very distinct from any other stained glass windows I have ever seen, not only because of their vibrant color but because of the people depicted in the windows' scenes. These bodiless people had the most expressive eyes; many of them looked serene, while others seemed to be in deep distress. Central of these prisoners was Jesus himself, who was depicted, from what I could tell, many times on the window. The central vision is of Christ, the original prisoner of conscience, on the cross.

Sitting below the windows in the center of the chapel was a large stone slab marking a tomb, which was surrounded in lit candles.

The High Altar is outside the Trinity Chapel itself and is best seen from within the Quire. You cannot walk right up to the altar, which is situated at the top of some stairs some distance behind a metal guardrail, but you can stand and admire it. The cloth (at least, I think that's what it was, even though it definitely looked painted) that covered the altar was a swirl of much paler blues than those in the window just behind it. A golden cross stood out in the center of the whirlpool of white, cerulean, sky blue, and steel blue. The archway and windows behind and the Gothic ceilings above made a perfect frame for the altar.

The entire time that I was in the Quire, exploring the fine 16th century woodwork, I felt like the little German children that had wreaked so much havoc at the Sibirica Minor Font had found the cathedral's organ. Named the "Father Willis Organ" and built in 1877, I didn't think that children would be allowed anywhere near it (and besides that, I could see the little German girls attempting to crawl under the barrier between the Quire and the High Altar), but it certainly sounded like someone was haphazardly banging on the keys. I wouldn't have been surprised to hear "Chopsticks"! It carried on for so long that it became part of the cathedral and it took me a few minutes to realize when whoever it was had stopped playing! Read Less

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on July 1, 2007

Salisbury Cathedral
The Close
Salisbury, England SP1 2EF
01722 555113

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Salisbury Cathedral

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Attraction | "Salisbury Cathedral: The Cloisters"

Salisbury Cathedral Cloisters Photo - Salisbury Cathedral, Salisbury, England

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The Cloisters were one of the later additions to the cathedral and were finished around 1284; Salisbury Cathedral propaganda touts them as the largest cloisters in Britain. I'm no cloisters expert, but they did seem to be a good size. I noticed that the stone ceilings were vaulted just as those inside the cathedral; these were just a bit closer and a bit less baroque. Splendidly designed archways opened up to the large courtyard. One side of the cloisters was partially taken up by seats for the Refectory Cafe.I quickly found the entrance to the courtyard, which was right in front of the doors to the Chapel House, my next destination. A sign stood on the grass, warning people that this was a co...Read More

The Cloisters were one of the later additions to the cathedral and were finished around 1284; Salisbury Cathedral propaganda touts them as the largest cloisters in Britain. I'm no cloisters expert, but they did seem to be a good size. I noticed that the stone ceilings were vaulted just as those inside the cathedral; these were just a bit closer and a bit less baroque. Splendidly designed archways opened up to the large courtyard. One side of the cloisters was partially taken up by seats for the Refectory Cafe.

I quickly found the entrance to the courtyard, which was right in front of the doors to the Chapel House, my next destination. A sign stood on the grass, warning people that this was a courtyard within a cloisters that contained quite a few graves and was to be respected as such. I did tread slightly lighter after that...not that I was stomping to begin with, as my nom de plume may imply.

The courtyard is dominated by a few large trees, which shaded the opposite side of the cloisters and the small shrubs that squatted next to the cloister walls. I appreciated the arches of the walls even more from this viewpoint. A larger arch had a flower-like design carved out of it, and underneath, two smaller arches met with a cross between them. I know, this may be somewhat hard to envision, but it's also hard to describe. Perhaps I should just say it was beautiful, completely symmetric stonework that can be seen in this entry's pictures.

Standing in the center of the courtyard, I could look up and see the cathedral's spire reaching up and getting in the way of any passing airplanes. This was the best view I got of the spire all day, mainly because the entire other side--the side you see when walking up from Cathedral Close towards the fantastic West Front--was being restored/strengthened. Unfortunately, the sky was still ashen, although I was lucky--I was standing only semi-covered by the courtyard's trees and wasn't getting soaked! Read Less

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on July 1, 2007

Salisbury Cathedral
The Close
Salisbury, England SP1 2EF
01722 555113

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Salisbury Cathedral

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Attraction | "Salisbury Cathedral: The Chapter House/Magna Carta"

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While many may praise the Chapter House, built at the same time as the cloisters and finished in 1284, for being a most delicately beautiful, light-filled, fan ceilinged, octagonal chapter house (now that's a mouthful of adjectives), its main points of interest are the historical relics that it contains.The most important of these relics is one of four surviving copies of the Magna Carta. It sits in a case on the opposite side of the huge room designed after the Ch...Read More

While many may praise the Chapter House, built at the same time as the cloisters and finished in 1284, for being a most delicately beautiful, light-filled, fan ceilinged, octagonal chapter house (now that's a mouthful of adjectives), its main points of interest are the historical relics that it contains.

The most important of these relics is one of four surviving copies of the Magna Carta. It sits in a case on the opposite side of the huge room designed after the Chapter House at Westminster Abbey. One word of warning: while pictures are allowed in all other parts of the cathedral, neither these nor videos are allowed here, even without flash.

The Magna Carta was a charter signed by King John in 1215 and was a predecessor to such documents as the American Bill of Rights. It came about because many English barons felt that the king was abusing his power and captured the city of London in June of that year; these barons then forced the king to sign the "Articles of the Barons" in a meeting at the meadow of Runnymeade. No one knows quite how many copies of this document were made to send to the various barons and other high-ranking officials, but as I've stated above, it is known that only four still exist, and none that bear the royal seal.

The charter was supposed to limit his rights and make him respect the law. However, throughout the Middle Ages, it did not quite serve this function, and by the 1800s, the majority of the charter was no longer part of British law. In fact, King John had the charter revoked as soon as the angry barons left, and the Pope even renounced it, saying it was "a shameful and demeaning agreement, forced upon the king by violence and fear." Luckily, the Bill of Rights has had a slightly better fate!

The guide standing next to the case holding the charter, written on vellum, was very knowledgeable and answered everyone's questions about the charter and its origins. More people than I ran into in the entire cathedral seemed to be crowded around the case, politely jostling for a look at the charter. It did take quite a close look to actually read the charter, since it was written in tiny, perfect hand.

Many people stopped to look at the many other relics in the Chapter House, but I didn't dilly-dally too much longer after seeing the Magna Carta, being a bit tired from a long day of touring. You could definitely spend more time than I did in there though, especially if you are a history buff. Read Less

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on July 1, 2007

Salisbury Cathedral
The Close
Salisbury, England SP1 2EF
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Lacock Village

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Attraction | "Lacock Village: Church Street"

The Village of Lacock Photo - Lacock Village, Lacock, England

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As I've said in the overview, we visited Lacock completely on a whim, seeing the sign and immediately turning off the highway. Driving into town was like driving back in time; the yellow Cotswold stone houses appeared to be unchanged from the 1800s onwards. I got out of the car at the corner of West St. and Church St., two of maybe five streets in the entire town. A dirt path led around the corner onto Church St. next to the houses' little, well-kept flower gardens.Just around the corner was the "Sign of the Angel," one of the most popular buildings in the village. I had already noticed the 20th and 21st century rudely trying to crowd out the older, quainter parts of the village when I couldn'...Read More

As I've said in the overview, we visited Lacock completely on a whim, seeing the sign and immediately turning off the highway. Driving into town was like driving back in time; the yellow Cotswold stone houses appeared to be unchanged from the 1800s onwards. I got out of the car at the corner of West St. and Church St., two of maybe five streets in the entire town. A dirt path led around the corner onto Church St. next to the houses' little, well-kept flower gardens.

Just around the corner was the "Sign of the Angel," one of the most popular buildings in the village. I had already noticed the 20th and 21st century rudely trying to crowd out the older, quainter parts of the village when I couldn't get a decent shot of the houses and their gardens without SmartCars and Toyotas getting in the way, and here the intrusion made itself even more obvious. The beautiful building, painted in the Tudor tradition of white with black trim, had beautiful flowers hanging below the second floor, which hung out much in the manner of the famed houses along the Shambles in York. Just below these flowers was an overflowing trash bin, complete with flies swarming around it. I couldn't get a single decent picture of the whole place without the confounded bucket elbowing in, so I took a mental snapshot and moved on. And hey, I'm sure the trash can was better than the trash disposal system in the 1800s, which generally consisted of throwing all trash and sewage into the street.

Further down the street, I came upon the Carpenter's Arms, one of quite a few pubs in the little village. It might have been tempting to go in and have a pint, but it was barely 9am. Next door was a little place called "Wiltshire Crafts" that I looked through for a little while. It had quite nice handmade crafts, ranging from pottery to jewelry. I liked a few of the mugs I saw there, but didn't buy one, as I was pretty sure they wouldn't make it through a plane ride home.

At the end of Church St is...a church! What a surprise! Unfortunately, the Church of St. Cyriac was under heavy construction and surrounded in scaffolds. Nearby was Lacock Pottery, which surprised me in being both a bed & breakfast and a pottery collection/store. I wouldn't have minded spending the night there.

This entry is continued in Lacock Village: High Street and the Abbey. Read Less

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on July 1, 2007

Lacock Village

Lacock, United Kingdom SN15 2LG
+44 (1249) 730459

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Lacock Village

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Attraction | "Lacock Village: High Street and the Abbey"

Me in Lacock Photo - Lacock Village, Lacock, England

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This entry is a continuation of Lacock Village: Church St.I walked back towards the Carpenter's Arms and down a small side street to get to High Street, where I found my grandparents driving by. Nanna got out and walked with me to the National Trust store, where we acquired a very nice-looking tea towel and some leather bookmarks, before heading down the street to see what else the village had to offer at this early hour. Near the National Trust store was a house whose front was covered in perfect pink roses, making a perfect arch over the whitewashed door.After walking a little further and ascertaining that yes, we had seen pretty much the entire village, Nanna and I went to f...Read More

This entry is a continuation of Lacock Village: Church St.

I walked back towards the Carpenter's Arms and down a small side street to get to High Street, where I found my grandparents driving by. Nanna got out and walked with me to the National Trust store, where we acquired a very nice-looking tea towel and some leather bookmarks, before heading down the street to see what else the village had to offer at this early hour. Near the National Trust store was a house whose front was covered in perfect pink roses, making a perfect arch over the whitewashed door.

After walking a little further and ascertaining that yes, we had seen pretty much the entire village, Nanna and I went to find Poppa, who was parked in the lot near the Red Lion, a large, red brick building that is arguably out of place and somewhat ugly compared to the rest of the village. As we were driving out of town, I asked if I could quickly get out and look at the Abbey from afar, so we pulled into the outer parking lot, which cost about £2 to park in. A man selling raffle tickets benefiting the National Trust and Lacock pointed us in the right direction--essentially, right across the street--and we quickly found the Abbey, which was nestled back behind the trees. It wasn't an enormous place, but was certainly the largest in the village. We walked along its stone walls--and the road lined in yellow cones to stop people from parking, which rather took away from the setting--until we found the entrance, where we found that it would cost us at least £5 to go in and have a look. While both the Abbey and the Fox Talbot Museum would have been interesting to look around, we had a lot of other plans for the day, so we passed on this and went back to the car.

All in all, we had a very pleasant and surprising visit to Lacock. The National Trust has done a great job of keeping up the village, and it is too bad that they can't keep cars out of it altogether, although this would probably not please the residents! It was a great little side trip and I am glad we dropped in, although I am sad we didn't have slightly longer to stay and explore the Abbey, whose cloisters happen to be the setting for classrooms and courtyards in Harry Potter's Hogwarts. The village has also been featured in movies such as Emma and Moll Flanders; Pride and Prejudice used it as the setting for Meryton. Read Less

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on July 1, 2007

Lacock Village

Lacock, United Kingdom SN15 2LG
+44 (1249) 730459

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