The Village of Lacock, No. 9

A house across West Street--someone said those vines get in the roof tiles and cause leaks. At the far end of that building where you can see a bit of an arched opening, that's the Bus Shelter. I read this online: This must be one of the most interesting bus shelters in the country. It was a part of the last remaining smithy in Lacock where, in the 1870s and 1880s George Ring was the blacksmith and farrier. The business was carried on by Mrs Matilda Ring until the First World War. It is in West street between The George and the War Memorial. The building just beyond it with the sign is The George Inn. I read this online: Dates back to 1361 and features a grand open fireplace with dogwheel. Good food and fine ales available. Patio, children’s garden and car parking. Dog friendly.



A close up of the vine--how old must it be to have become of such a diameter?

The Village of Lacock, No. 8

The fuchsia at the end of the garden wall afforded me some excellent opportunities for close up photos of the colorful blossoms.



I like this one, too. The blossoms seem to be resting in that low spot on the stone wall.



This just might be the best photo of fuchsia that I've ever taken.



I like this angle, too. Couldn't seem to stop myself from taking one photo after another. Such a fine opportunity.



See what I mean?

The Village of Lacock, No. 7

If I've ever seen an enticing garden wall, it's this one. What are those pink blossoms at the far end of the wall? Come back tomorrow to find out--thanks!



Here's the door on the house. I wonder how old it is. Any ideas out there?

The Village of Lacock, No. 6

The sun came out even more! I really like how it looks in the photo taken at the intersection of the High Street and West Street which is at the left side of the photo. I believe that's fellow-tour-goer James in the blue jacket and Patricia in the magenta one. I may be wrong, so don't quote me.  At the right side of the photo, you can see the front of the church which is connected to the school.



Here's a view of West Street. And, upon a closer look, that is definitely Patricia in the magenta jacket!



The Lacock War Memorial, directly across the street from where Patricia is walking. I read this online about the War Memorial: War Memorial, 1920, reusing early C18 monumental aedicule frame of memorial to Sir John Talbot (d 1714) in parish church. Ashlar, segmental pediment with ornate armorial trophy in tympanum and finely moulded entablature supported on two Corinthian columns standing on fielded panelled base. Ashlar infill of 1920 with niche and standing cross over inscription panel.



The memorial's inscription which shows those who perished in the First World War. Online I found the names of another 14 who died during World War II--I failed to notice that they are listed in a lower rectangle which is seen in the upper photo, between the two white vases filled with pink flowers.

The Village of Lacock, No. 5

I read this online: The Porch House, in the High Street, is one of the most important houses in the village and must have belonged to a number of prosperous inhabitants over the centuries. As we see it today the house was built in the 16th and 17th centuries on to the core of an earlier house. The porch itself is apparently of the 15th century as is a cross wing on the right hand side. Until the building of a bypass in 1964 the main Trowbridge to Chippenham road was West Street, forming the cross of a T junction with the High Street and so Porch House would have occupied an important site at this junction with the main road. (I cannot understand why this states that the porch is a wing on the right hand side when it looks to me like the porch is on the left hand side. Those people are at its location, if you ask me.)



These half-timbered houses date from the medieval period. The one with the two bay windows, nearest the Red Lion, was known as the Coffee Tavern in 1905--I found a vintage photo online.



Lacock Food Store and Post Office--didn't even have time to stop in here. I was too busy taking photos of all of the historic exteriors to wonder about what might be for sale in the store.

The Village of Lacock, No. 4

Lacock's Primary School's office door--can you imagine what it must be like to go to school in a village this old? I read online that there are 75 students. And I read this: Welcome to the Lacock Primary School website. Lacock is a beautiful village in Wiltshire, still looking largely as it did two hundred years ago. From the outside our school looks just like it did when it was built in 1824 but on the inside it is a lively and exciting place of learning.

We all know each other and we all look out for each other. The teachers and other adults know what each child needs to do to get better. The children are focussed on learning and love to share what they have achieved, both in lessons and out of school.

Parents are a vital part of all children’s learning and we value all the work that goes on at home and out of school to support the children. We are always thrilled to share what the children have been doing over weekend and in the evenings. The Friends of Lacock School are also a vital part of the school community and raise much needed funds to enhance the children’s learning. Part of the money raised goes towards funding educational visits which allows the children to visit a range of places linked to their learning.

The governors of Lacock School work to both support and challenge the school. They are come from a wide range of backgrounds and bring a range of skills to the school. In summary we are proud to be a village school at the heart of our community and working with all members of it to provide the best education we can for the children in our classes. I am proud to be the headteacher of the school and would love to show you all that goes on here – please do browse our website to get a picture of what we do but even better why not visit and let us show you why the children love coming to school every day.

Richard Hearn Head Teacher



Here's the wide shot with the school door from the other photo there on the left side of the building.  Notice the school bell over the doorway on the right. Sweet! The round white signs withe the red trim say School Parking only, at the posted days and times. The cross, I read online, is known as the market cross. Here's what I read about it online: The cross was originally in the Old Market Place, before the church in Church Street, until it was moved to a position outside the Red Lion, in the New Market Place in the High Street, in the early 1700s. It was moved to its present position in front of the village school at the start of the 20th century. The cross itself is late medieval with a renewed cross on an octagonal shaft.



The rest of the building, the Lacock Church of England and the Primary School, complete with a bin. I wonder if green means recycling in Lacock.

The Village of Lacock, No. 3

East Street with the half-timbered house on the left and a bit of the 14th century Tithe Barn on the right. There's some information about the half-timbered house in the caption of the next photo. I think some of it describes this side of the house that opens onto East Street.



I read this online about the half-timbered house, The Chamberlain's House, on the corner of East Street at the High Street. The sight is called British Listed Buildings; this is a description that I found there: House, late medieval, rubble stone and timber frame with renewed side wall stack. Two storeys. Crosswing to left has rubble stone ground floor, exposed framing above. East front door under jettied first floor with all studding renewed. Leaded triple casement. South side, to High Street, has 8-pane ground floor window each side in beaded surrounds and former door, now window to right of centre. First floor has original framing, leaded casement pair to left, triple casement to right. To right of crosswing, east front is rubble stone with 12-pane window over high moulded plinth to left and C20 window in dormer gable above. To right, ridge stack, ground floor large Tudor-arched recessed doorway to through passage and boarded loading door above. Interior not inspected.



About the Tithe Barn: Back in the 14th century, residents of Lacock Village would pay their rent in corn, hides or fleece, all of which were collected in the large Tithe Barn. Visitors might recognize this ancient structure and its distinctive interior ceiling beams from the icehouse scenes in the 2010 film "The Wolfman," which featured Emily Blunt, Benicio del Toro and Anthony Hopkins. And this: The Tithe Barn runs parallel to East Street at the junction with High Street in the heart of the historic village. It is a limestone barn with a raised-cruck roof and a very long wagon porch. One end of the barn is cut at an angle and once had an entrance doorway in it as well as the more usual exit door onto East Street. (We didn't get to see the interior. I wonder what a wagon porch is. I don't see anything in any of the photos I've found of the Tithe Barn that looks like a porch to me.)



Another view of the intersection of East Street and the High Street, with the half-timbered house, The Chamberlain's House, on the left and the Tithe Barn on the right of the intersection. The Tithe Barn, constructed in the cruck beam manner, retains its dirt floor. I read that the cruck beams are bent wooden beams--wish we could have seen the inside, but I'm very happy to have been able to take photos of the exterior without any rain falling on us! You can tell that the end of the barn is cut at an angle matching East Street's angle at the intersection. I read this online about the Tithe Barn, too: The medieval 14th century tithe barn of Lacock Abbey was used for storing the tithes (a tenth of the annual production) of the tenant farmers and the harvest of the abbey farm. In the 18th century it was used as a market hall for the village and in the 19th century it was used for the storage and winter threshing of corn. It is now used for concerts and village events.

The Village of Lacock, No. 2

The Red Lion, a picturesque building along the High Street which offers food, drink, and five rooms for overnight stays. Trip Advisor shows 80 excellent reviews for the pub. I also read this online: A popular inn, restaurant and pub, the Red Lion was transformed into a storefront for the popular BBC series "The Cranford Chronicles," starring Judi Dench and Eileen Atkins. Fans of the series will recognize the building's red brick and white windowpanes even without the transformation, and many of the adjacent houses were also used in filming. According to the Lion's website, staff members have appeared as extras in some of the shots! One more bit found online about this building: A red brick inn of 1730 that fronts much earlier buidings. The inn name is an ancient one and may reflect the fact that John of Gaunt owned land nearby - his crest was a red lion. The inn was probably extended in the 18th century to take advantage of the increased traffic from the newly turnpiked Bath road that entered Lacock from Bowden Hill.



The back of the Red Lion where evidently there is outdoor seating when the weather's just right. The rain hadn't been stopped for too long, so I imagine any customers at the Red Lion were inside the pub.

The Village of Lacock, No. 1

Tommy, our coach driver, made the statement that we were in for a real treat if the rain held off. So true! Anna, our tour director, told us as we drove into the village that Lacock is mainly owned by the National Trust and that folks who rent there know that now and then the village will be made to appear as it would have been before modern times so that it could serve as a location for films or TV shows--the buildings range from medieval times to the 18th century. All of us who enjoyed taking photographs of the quaint buildings wished for no automobiles and soil covering the modern pavement.

I read this online: The village of Lacock dates back to the 13th Century when Lacock was a classic wool village. The outward appearance of the village is of this time, but Lacock is a normal living village complete with functioning school, public houses, church, bakery and post office.

And this, too: Lacock, we have learned, was a planned village, established for the estate workers of the abbey in the 13th century, and the village streets form a square. Lacock, on the southern edge of the Cotswolds, was once a centre of the medieval wool trade. Today it still reflects those times, and no TV aerials, overhead cables or yellow lines on its streets spoil the scene. The village started its life in Saxon times. Norman lords then ruled the area and built a church in honor of St. Cyriac. Lying on the direct London to Bath route, the village prospered, and the church was rebuilt in the Perpendicular style in the 15th century. (I didn't walk on the Church Street where the church is located.)



Lacock Abbey--we didn't have time to get any closer, so I'm glad that I got this photo of at least part of the building. Some interiors in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets were filmed in the abbey--rooms were turned into Hogwarts school. The abbey was a major location in the film, The Other Boleyn Girl, while the village appeared in the BBC/A&E production of Pride and Prejudice.



Lacock's Manger Barn where all sorts of events are held. I like the look of the stones and the angle of the roof. That's a half-timbered house in the distance, on the corner of East Street and the High Street. The other pointed brown roof is on the Tithe Barn--more about it later in the blog.