Lacock Abbey is a window into a medieval world. It was founded in 1232 by Ela, Countess of Salisbury, and some of the original structure is evident in the cloisters; there are traces of medieval wall paintings, too. Check whether the abbey's deeply atmospheric rooms, temporarily closed in 2020, have reopened. Highlights include the stunning Gothic entrance hall and the bizarre terracotta figures; hunt out the scapegoat with a lump of sugar on its nose.
Admission to the abbey includes entry into the Fox Talbot Museum. It profiles William Henry Fox Talbot (1800–77), who pioneered the photographic negative. A prolific inventor, he began developing the system in 1834 while working at Lacock Abbey. The museum details his groundbreaking processes and displays a superb collection of his images.
