Saturday, October 17, 2009

Lovely Lacock


Hubby and I decided to scuttle-off to the picturesque village of Lacock today, with its attractive lime-washed and half-timbered stone houses, many of which date from the 13th century. It's been used as a TV and film location many times and includes appearances in Pride and Prejudice, Cranford, Wolfman and Harry Potter.
But, first things first, before our tour could begin, there was something important to do...
Yes, you can't go for an energetic walk round a picturesque village without first having a cup of tea you know! ;-))
Oh dear, how did that get there? You didn't notice that chocolate brownie sitting on my plate, did you?
Thankfully no one else did, as we were the only ones in the tea rooms at elevenses!
The logs in the lovely open fireplace at one end were looking a little reluctant to get going, so hubby went over to see what he could do...yes, its a primeval man thing, I think...
Anyway, a few strong puffs and hubby looked a little red in the face, but it got going nicely...just in time to impress the waitress, who gave us our cakes for nothing as a reward!! Well done hubby, you can act all macho as often as you like if that's what happens! heehee!

Before we left, I had to take a quick snap of this lovely collection of blue and white china on the old pine dresser, before the tea room started to fill up with other customers...they'd obviously heard that there was a good fire roaring inside and wanted to warm up. ;-))
So, refreshed, we went off for a wander around the pretty village and stumbled upon the place that supplies the tea rooms with their cyclamen plants, I think...
Such a stunning display and you could help yourself to the beautiful plants and put your payment through the letterbox of the house next door!
I love old fashioned places like this that still have trust for people.
It was then on to Lacock Abbey which is owned by the National Trust. It was founded as a nunnery in 1232 and later converted into a country house in the 1540's.
A walk through the grounds led us to the botanical gardens, where there was still a surprising amount of exotic blooms on show...
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As well as beautiful autumn colour.
Following the winding pathways, we arrived at the Abbey itself.
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It is in the cloisters where much of the Harry Potter movies were filmed.
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Its a very beautiful and atmospheric place and is easy to see why it was used for the film, rather than trying to create scenery from scratch. Much of the medieval cloisters and sacristy are completely intact.
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Hubble bubble...

Back outside again now and into the warm autumn sunshine.

Hope you enjoyed the quick tour.
Niki x
I also just wanted to thank everyone for the kind and reassuring comments that were left on my previous post - it means a lot.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend, Niki x

28 comments:

  1. Awww, what lovely pictures, thank you for taking us on such a lovely trip with you.

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  2. Now that is one place I do want to visit!
    Please forgive me if I'm wrong, but didn't Mr Fox-Talbot take the photograph at Lacock Abbey?

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  3. Thanks for your comment - yes indeed he did! We actually went round the Fox Talbot museum first, before touring the cloisters!
    Niki

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  4. Fabulous place to visit!
    Monicax.

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  5. It looks lovely Niki, Polly and I are big Harry P fans we would love it...what is it with men and fires? Mine is the same....thanks for the claender ts lovely...you are very very kind...

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  6. Oh, what lovely photographs of such a lovely town, thank you for sharing. After I read your post I recognized Harry Potter architecture, how cool...

    Karen

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  7. Niki,
    What a lovely place. I would love to visit in person, but that is unlikely. So, thank you for taking us on your tour through the magic of blog land. I also agree with your previous post about Twittering. I am also visual. I visit blogs for the photos as much as the content. I also prefer to post with photos!
    Blessings,
    Lorilee

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  8. Yes, men and fires! We'll be having our woodstove going once again... except my man has to play chimney sweep first, to clear out last year's creosote before we can start warming up the house again this fall.

    What fabulous photos, Niki! My kids are Harry Potter fans - they'd love to visit there I'm sure.

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  9. That looks like heaven. Thank you for sharing such a lovely place, Niki. It makes me long for England. xx

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  10. I'll be right over!!! just kiddin. not really. One day I will be there. Thanks for the lovely pictures. Love, Joy

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  11. Hello Niki, yes, I enjoyed the tour very, very much... thank you.
    Muchos cariños
    María Cecilia

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  12. Gosh I hadn't realised just how wonderful Lacock Abbey is, thank you for the lovely tour!

    Sarah x

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  13. Hi Niki is this lovely place anywhere near devizes? if so we could visit next week when we go on holiday..(see post) love the look of the tea shop

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  14. What a beautiful place. I can just imagine myself having tea there. And the fire must have been so warm and cozy. We don't have any flowers left over here in New England but we do have pumpkins for sale on the "honor system"

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  15. Hi Niki
    We have friends who live in Lacock who have asked us to visit for years now and we keep meaning to... your photos have just reminded me that we really need to visit!
    Hope all is well with you, sorry haven't been around for a while. HOpe too, that whatever the problems have been with you and your blog are all sorted and that you are feeling good xxx
    Kimx

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  16. Anonymous11:42 am

    Thank you for that wonderful tour. I love your blog sooo much. It is a great pleasure for me to visit here.
    All I see and all I read here moves in my heart.
    (Please excuse my simple English.)
    With love,
    Anja from Germany

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  17. What a thoroughly delightful post! English tea is the only way to experience tea! Enjoy this week.

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  18. absolutely dreamy! Glad you had a great time.

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  19. Hi Niki -
    Thank you for taking me back to England! I'd love to go again in person, but have no idea when/if that will be possible. Your always beautiful, always inspiring blog satisfies my craving and soothes my soul!
    Tammy

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  20. Hi Niki...I have no idea what you are talking about, regarding any previous post but I think you are wonderful and I'm totally happy you are still blogging! It's all steam out of the teapot at this point!
    What a treat to take tea with you and your hubby and wander thru this magical place. I love and appreciate the "honor system". In the summer we have a lot of farmers that do this and you can buy apples, flowers and veggies on that honor system. It's a beautiful thing in todays world to reach out to a stranger and trust. Blessings to you from my corner of the world.

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  21. Just gorgeous...sigh...that is just what us Americans think of when we imagine an English village (probably because all of those movies shot there!). The tea room looks absolutely cozy.

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  22. Lovely photos, I love that you get out and about ,visiting your local area,especially with your hubby.I think sometimes we take it for granted, wanting to travel so far to see something just as lovely in our own backyard!
    Sue

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  23. How absolutely gorgeous. I wonder if Lacock has been used in much older movies as well? Like Becket?

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  24. What a wonderful tour of such a quaint village. How sweet of the waitress to treat you all to the cakes. The tea room was so charming.I love all of the buildings in that village and the cyclamen added such a nice pop of color.
    Xo,
    Tammy

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  25. Lovely tour! Thank Niki, glad you both had a day to chill out.. we are trying to plan one soon! Lizzie & J x

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  26. Absolutely gorgeous beyond words, Niki!! I never wanted your pictures to end!!! Thanks so much for sharing them with us. :)

    ~ Wendy
    http://Crickleberrycottage.blogspot.com/

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  27. Hello Niki

    Lacock is such a lovely place! I enjoyed discovering it in the summer. Such character! I will enjoy watching Cranford even more now that I have been there. I will have fun trying to recognise some of the buildings.
    I'll have to remember the lighting up the fire trick when I next go there with Alan... ;-))
    Isabelle x

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  28. Thank you for this post. I visited Lacock many years ago as a teenager on family holidays and have never forgotten its beauty.

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Thank you for finding the time to visit me...
Niki xx