Sir William Sharington had no children and was followed at Lacock by his brother Sir Henry. Henry's youngest daughter Olive, married Sir John Talbot of Salwasp in Worcestershire, and this family has been connected with the Abbey ever since.

Further alterations were made to the Abbey and grounds during the 60 year residence of John Ivory Talbot in the mid 18th century. Parkland replaced elaborately laid out gardens and the line of the drive was altered to sweep towards the front door through a gothic arch. The large gothic entrance hall built in 1754-6 replaced an earlier Tudor or medieval hall. Approached by a double flight of steps, inside it has an arresting ceiling bearing the coat of arms of neighbouring families.

In the mid 19th century William Henry Fox Talbot remodelled the south elevation and added three new oriel windows. In 1835 he made the earliest known surviving example of a photographic negative, a small photogenic drawing of the oriel window in the south gallery. Such experiments continued at the Abbey and in 1840, Talbot discovered the negative/positive photographic process, upon which, modern photography is based.

The Grounds and Gardens provide the perfect foil to the house and are managed in the style of a Wiltshire squire who governs his surroundings in partnership with nature. The woodland garden is of the 19th-entury style and contains an historic collection of formal and native trees. Early plans show the form of an elaborate 18th-century water garden hidden beneath the surface, intermingled with the remnants of the working medieval landscape.

A restoration programme is currently underway to reinstate the botanic garden of William Henry Fox Talbot. Although best known for his scientific achievements Talbot also showed interest in botany which resulted in many plants of note being introduced to the Abbey grounds.