The Great Hall at Lacock Abbey

Woodpeckers wanted to have an excursion on her last day of the holidays today, so we arranged to meet a couple of blippers at Lacock Abbey, near Melksham in Wiltshire. Unfortunately Cowgirl had too many other commitments so couldn't come, but Lozarithm was awaiting us when we pulled into the car park. It is a highly suitable blip rendezvous point as Lacock Abbey, which is owned by the National Trust, now hosts the Fox Talbot museum of photography. Fox Talbot created the first ever photographic negative in 1835, taken of a small window at his home, Lacock Abbey, which I managed to take a picture of today too.

We explored the lovely gardens , the warm glass houses, the fruit orchard as well as the beautiful grounds of the former abbey. Lozarithm knew his way around and took us to some special places, which was a great help. It was surprisingly busy, as was the village of Lacock, partly because of its success as a location for films and tv series.

We took the tour of the house, which has 800 years of history to be told, culminating in its possession by the Fox Talbot family. Lacock began life as an Augustinian nunnery, and many of the underpinnings of the house show its monastic origins. It was the very last religious house disbanded during Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries.

At the end of the tour around the upper floors, we descended to the Great Hall down some narrow steps and through this side door. The room is now the exit point for all the visitors and forms a hugely impressive finale. I do recommend a visit.

We then walked into the nearby village and Woodpeckers treated me to a lunch at the pub, which I expect she will have a few words to say about in her blip today, since the venue held some significance for her. I must rush now as I have a meeting of the Town Council to attend in a very few minutes, and I need some more food.