Lacock Abbey is packed with history. It started as an abbey and nunnery, then became a Tudor family home. The last owners were the Talbots, a caring close-knit family that loved their home in Lacock. You might know it as the birthplace of photography.
Please note that the Abbey is currently closed. The grounds are open for local visitors only.
1200s: foundation
One of the most powerful women of the middle ages, Ela Countess of Salisbury, founded Lacock Abbey on the morning of 16 April 1232. The cloister and rooms are a rare example of medieval monastic architecture. Ela’s original cloister was demolished in the 1400s and replaced with what you see today.
Ela, Countess of Sailsbury, was one of the most powerful women of the Middle Ages, and the founder of Lacock Abbey in the 1200s.
The medieval cloister at Lacock Abbey
National Trust Images / Arnhel de Serra
The medieval cloister at Lacock Abbey
1500s: transformation
Tudor courtier, Sir William Sharington, purchased the abbey after the Dissolution of the Monasteries and turned it into his country house. He incorporated the cloister into the design of his home, an unusual move, and added Italian-inspired Renaissance architecture, including an octagonal tower.
Sharington's Tower was built from the original stones of the abbey
National Trust Images / Mark Bolton
Sharington's Tower was built from the original stones of the abbey
1700s: Gothick alterations
John Ivory Talbot inherited Lacock and over 58 years transformed both the abbey and its grounds. He was inspired by the Gothick taste and worked with architect Sanderson Miller to add features such as the entrance arch and Great Hall.
Portrait of John Ivory Talbot by Michael Dahl
John Hammond
Portrait of John Ivory Talbot by Michael Dahl
1800s: Victorian home
William Henry Fox Talbot and his family lived in the abbey much as it looks today. In August 1835 Talbot created the first photographic negative and established Lacock as a Birthplace of Photography. The family remodelled the South Gallery, including the window where he captured his famous image.
View of the South Gallery
Andreas von Einsiedel
View of the South Gallery
1900s: Gift to the nation
Matilda Talbot was surprised to inherit Lacock in 1916. She was conscious of her duties towards all who lived and worked on the Estate. During times of hardship Matilda sold some of the abbey collection to improve the homes of her tenants in Lacock village. In 1944 she gave the estate to the National Trust.
Matilda Talbot's bedroom at Lacock Abbey in Wiltshire
National Trust Images / James Dobson
Matilda Talbot's bedroom at Lacock Abbey in Wiltshire