Though small, Lacock was at the top of my England list because of its immense charm. Many films and TV shows were shot here, including Harry Potter, Pride and Prejudice (1995), The Other Boleyn Girl, Galavant, etc. – to name some of my favorites. Starting from Bath, we got to visit this charming little place and were not disappointed.

A Brief History of Lacock & Lacock Abbey

Lacock (pronounced lay-cock) is a small place that dates back to the middle ages, but it doesn’t have the most eventful of histories. It’s always been a small town. A lot of its history has revolved around the Abbey and a lot of the buildings date centuries back, even to the medieval era.

The abbey dates back to 1232. We see a Tudor home today but at its founding it would have been an actual abbey, an Augustinian nunnery. The current cloisters were then built in the 15th century to replace the first cloisters, to my understanding. When Henry VIII struck and dissolved the monasteries, Lacock Abbey was a victim, but was bought and turned into a Tudor home. The Tudor home was built on top of the cloisters rather than in replacement of it. Many alterations were made in the succeeding centuries.

The calotype, a form of early photograph, was invented by Henry Fox Talbot whose ancestral home was Lacock Abbey, where he took many of the first calotypes.

Visiting Lacock Today

The draw of Lacock is that is is so gosh-darn charming. The houses date to different centuries and they look it. Each one is unique and looks as if it has its own story to tell, from the half-timber houses to the stone ones with delicate carvings. The village is said not to have changed much since the 19th century, which is probably when the newest buildings were built.

It takes only a few minutes to walk around and see the buildings the town has to offer, but it’s so magical. There’s a convenient little loop, plus a split off for St Cyriac’s Church, to walk around. The current church dates to the 15th century, a memento of the town’s medieval past. It’s easy to see why so many different movies and TV shows were filmed here – it really is the definition of “charming.”

The main “thing” to do when visiting Lacock is to see Lacock Abbey, which has cloisters in which the first few Harry Potter movies were filmed.

The grounds of the abbey are quite extensive and have a few gardens to visit, and more importantly, sheep! You can enter the abbey and go around its array of rooms. You’ll have to go to the back of the abbey to enter the cloisters.

The abbey costs about £20 to enter and honestly, the interior is not very impressive. I’ve been in many manor houses that were better and more extravagantly decorated. The cloisters, however small, were the best part of the interior with lovely medieval architectural details. The bosses (the part where the beams/vaults in a ceiling meet) have different sculptural decoration.

There will be no foolish wand-waving or silly incantations in this class.

In June, the landscape with the sheep roaming was lovely, but the gardens were a bit average. You can’t go to Lacock without visiting the abbey but the £20 felt too steep for the visit.

At the ticket office, there is also a free exhibition on Henry Fox Talbot and the early days of photography.

Lacock is filled with tourists but the locals are just as charming as the architecture. There are many small boxes with goods, like Harry Potter trinkets and seedlings, that you can take if you leave the requested amount of money. It’s run on the honor system. I can’t believe people live in this quaint little village. It’s probably a bit exhausting with all the tourists, but imagine looking out and saying this is my home!

There are a few different places to eat in the village. The King’s Hunting Lodge was recommended for their gorgeous rose garden tea and striking interior, but they were closed because of a fire when we visited. I hope they are able to get back on their feet soon. The building is a wool merchant’s home dating back to 1500 and is one of the village’s prettiest buildings.

Photography note: The locals park only inches away from their homes so getting photographs of the houses is quite difficult. Just something to be aware of if you’re expecting to get amazing shots!

Getting to Lacock Via Public Transport

It’s actually quite easy to get around this area with public transport if you keep an open schedule. Currently, it’s the X34 Bus that goes between Chippenham and Frome that stops in Lacock. You can easily get to both from Bath.

If you’re looking to take a tour with taxis, we tried to do that initially. However we booked the night before our trip and nobody was able to take our reservation. Apparently you need to book taxis pretty well in advance.

Lacock holds up to its name as a very charming place to visit. You only need about half an hour to explore the town, plus any additional time to see the abbey, the church, get some cream tea, etc. It makes a short but lovely day trip. Even though it’s on the beaten path, it’s easy to see why. This place is just so beautiful and there’s not a lot of places quite like it!

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