Beautiful Abbey (Lacock Abbey)

Member Name: tartlette

Product:	Lacock Abbey
Date:	11/06/07 (107 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Beautiful, historic, interesting

Disadvantages: Bit pricey, museum was dull

A few weeks ago my boyfriend arranged a surprise day out. This was a rare occurance so I got very excited and couldn't wait to find out where we were going. When we got in the car I shut my eyes for the journey so I couldn't see where we were going. I had an inkling that we might end up in some sort of historic site as, both being history teachers, this is something that we enjoy doing and do quite a lot. I was really happy when I opened my eyes and discovered we were in Lacock. It was somewhere I had wanted to visit, especially having seen it on the TV a couple of weeks before.

HISTORY:

History lesson alert!!! Lacock was founded by Ela, Countess of Salisbury, in the early 13th century. She was married to Henry II's illegitimate son so she wasn't short of a bob or two and left the abbey plus lots of land to the Augustinian Canonesses. They abbey continued to prosper until old Henry VIII came along and decided that he really wasn't quite rich enough and nicking all the monasteries would be the way forward. He sold Lacock off in 1539, and its new owner set about making it into a home. The house soon passed into the Talbot family. The abbey was donated to the National Trust in the 1940s but Matilda Talbot and has remained in the Trust's care ever since.

PRICES, OPENING AND ACCESS:

Lots of price combinations available. There is no student discount which we were annoyed about but they persuaded us to pay for a year's membership to the trust which was only £19 each for people under 25, so this is definately worth it if you visit these sorts of places a lot.

Abbey, museum, cloisters & grounds: £8.30, child £4.10, family (2 adults & 2 children) £21.20. Groups £7.40, child £3.70.

Museum, cloisters & grounds: £5.10, child £2.50, family (2 adults & 2 children) £12.90. Groups £4.60, child £2.30.

Abbey, cloisters & grounds: £6.70, child £3.40, family (2 adults & 2 children) £17.10. Groups £6, child £3.

Museum (winter): £3.60, child £1.80, family (2 adults & 2 children) £9.20. Groups £3.20, child £1.60

The entire Abbey and museum is open for most of the summer but certain parts close during the winter weekdays so if you want to see everything go on the weekend in the winter.

There is a National Trust car park very close to the Abbey, which costs about £1.50 (free to members). As far as I could tell most of the Abbey is accessible by wheelchair, athough some of the upstairs areas did not seem to be. The Abbey is located near Chippenham so there is fairly easy access from the M4.

THE VISIT:

On parking the car we followed the short route through the woods to the ticket office/museum/shop. Having paid our membership we then made our way around the museum. Unfortunately this was not an exibit about the Abbey, but rather about photography and the work of William Fox Talbot, one of the Abbey's owners. You can see some of his equipment, and other artefacts relating to his life. There was also a series of photographs of various personalities. This was my least favourite part of the visit as I just was not that interested in the exibits!

We then made our way to the Abbey itself. This was a short walk from the ticket office. Once there we went into the cloisters as the main house seems to open slightly later. The cloisters and the rooms off them were fascinating to me, parly because of my love of medieval history and partly because of my love of Harry Potter as the first two films had scenes shot here. In each of the rooms there was an information panel telling you what the room would have been and whether it had been used in the Harry Potter films. There was also information on Ela and her foundation and about the Abbey during World War One. This part of the house was the most interesting for me, but I felt that they could have made more of it.

We then wandered around the grounds. There are some lovely woodland areas to walk around (as long as its dry!)

Next we went around the house's main rooms. When you enter you can buy a guide but we decided to go it alone. In each room there are information cards and books, telling you about the main pieces of furniture and paintings. These were useful but they looked tired and needed updating. The rooms are laid out as they would have been in the 18th or 19th century. There are some beautiful pieces of furniture and paintings. This part of the house was interesting but for me, not as much as the cloisters. This was a personal preference however.

I would have been a little disappointed if I had paid over £8 for this as I did not think there was enough in the Abbey to warrant this price. However, I would still recommend a visit as the house is beautiful and the cloisters were very interesting. If you enjoy historic buildings then this is a must.

While you are in Lacock, make sure you visit the village as well. Fans of the Colin Firth Pride and Prejudice will be able to spot some familiar sites (yes I did get excited and no, Mr Tart did not appreciate my constant reminders of the lake scene!). It is like stepping into the 19th century (well if you take away the cars!). There is a lovely church as well. The National Trust takes care of the village as well.

In conclusion, definately recommended for all those of you who can't get enough history (like me) and those who just like looking at beautiful places.

Thanks for reading!

Summary: Recommended