Lacock Village and Abbey

So, I'm settled into a wonderful B&B in York, with Agatha Christie on the tv and Scrumpy Jack cider on my bedside table.  All ready to do some reporting!

This past week has been a bit of a fantasy actually, and I've had very little connectivity or time to update the blog so I'll try to do a lot of catch-up.



Back to Tuesday:  we were in Lacock where the entire village is owned by the National Trust.  As a result, no electrical lines, tv antennas, billboards, etc are allowed in order to keep the authenticity of the village.  As a result, the village is used extensively for filming of movies and tv shows.  The village, set in Wessex, dates from the 13th century and is full of wonderfully historical buildings. 

For instance, there is a tithe barn that was used to store the grains that the landowners would have to pay as their rent, or tithe, to the gentry that owned the area. 

Behind the barn (and attached to it) is the "lock up".   Apparently, in medieval days, there were no police or sheriffs in the towns so, when someone would get out of control, the judge or magistrate would have the person thrown into the lock up overnight.  It's a truly horrible little space with only a very tiny little window (about 6 inches square) to allow a little fresh air.

Lacock Abbey was used for Harry Potter and, unfortunately, it was drizzling when we were there so my photos aren't as bright as I would have liked but, if you use your imagination, you can imagine Hogwarts.

With a bit of snow in the courtyard, this is the common area of Hogwarts.



One of the hallways at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Professor Snape's dungeon classroom:



This house was also used in Harry Potter, but I can't remember where (and this tour was for Pride & Prejudice, not Harry Potter so they didn't know either).  It must have been either Tom Riddle's house or maybe the home of the Gaunts.  Or maybe Horace Slughorn.  I'll have to go back and watch my movies now.  It was definitely one of the more recent ones.





So, Lacock was a wonderful little town with cobbled streets and charming little shops.  I stayed at the Red Lion Inn and Pub, which used to be an old coaching station where people would stay while on their journey through the country.  Like everywhere I've stayed, a full English breakfast is provided in the morning.  There is fruit, juice, and cereal, and you can also order a hot breakfast including any or all of the following:  eggs, bacon, sausage, grilled tomatoes, cooked mushrooms, baked beans, and toast.  Plus tea and coffee, of course.