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Published: September 6th 2019
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Corridor of Lacock Abbey
Cloister area where movies like Harry Potter was filmed. The big,black pot from where all the magic portions where churned by the little wizards of Hogwarts school in Harry Potter. Yes, I visited the Lacock abbey which was the site for this magical film shooting.
Pride and Prejudice, The other Bolyen girl, Fantastic beasts, Harry Potter etc were filmed in Lacock and in the surrounding little village, now preserved by National Heritage Trust of England.
"It is our choices, Harry that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities"- J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter. It was a splendid choice to visit Lacock from Swindon by changing two buses ( approximately 2 hours) on a week day because of good bus service and sunny weather. I observed the the pleasant countryside of Calne, Royal Wootton village and others, all once belonged to the old wool trade. Green and yellow fields of maize and meadows captured the countryside.
"The distance is nothing when one has a motive"- Pride and Prejudice. I
got two free hot drinks voucher with the Lacock abbey tickets for using public transport. It is a big country house with monastic roots where Henry Fox Talbot lived. Fox Talbot was the first man who prepared a
photographic negative in 1835 of the famous windows of south gallery. Besides, there was the well maintained cloister where Harry Potter and other movies were filmed.
I saw the "parlour" where the nuns met the visitors which was the only room with a fire place. It had a lot of light and perfect place for the classroom of Harry Potter. It had the big black cauldron which we have seen in the movies.
I went up the stairs to see the rooms, paintings and living conditions of the rich family. They pursued fine water colour painting. Around the house, there was a well maintained garden with old trees, a pond, a medicinal garden with the picture of human organs against the plants that were used to treat them and plenty of flowers. I had English tea and coffee walnut cake at the courtyard tea room which was converted from the coach house of the olden days.
In the mild afternoon,
children were splashing around in a stream overflowing over the road, visitors popped into a chocolate shop, a bakery and an old pub. All house were made of yellow stone, a specialty of the region of Bath. The village barn to hold weekly markets had a little place to lock up rowdy, drunk people which was very pragmatic. I had some lovely hot chocolate at the Stables cafe.
I could not locate the bus stop and panicked a little. An elderly gentleman kindly pointed
it out. It was made of the same honey colored stone and blended superbly with the village landscape. An easy way is to observe the signs on the road which should show bus stop 😊
I took a stop over at
Chippenham, famous during the days of wool trade from Bristol to London. The free museum had a nice life size figure of King Alfred. The exhibition on the police force was interesting. The black uniform was very smart. It depicted how the people initially rejected the police, saying they could manage their own affairs but as the village grew, it needed dedicated citizens who were paid to make sure people citizens behaved as per law.
On the way back, I contemplated that being nun was a lovely thought of social service but living in the cold, with one hot meal a day and always punishing yourself so that someday you can reach heaven, is being very strict with the gift of life.
Ela, Countess of Salisbury had built Lacock abbey as a nunnery of Augustinian order and later joined it as an abbess. Perhaps, this was a noble occupation for older women. In my view, people with
sunny disposition should not contemplate such a melancholy existence. You could easily
sniff the scent of lavendar flowers at every nook and corner of the abbey as the wind blew towards you at bends and corners. The river side added to the beauty and utility of the place.
The botanical garden with the plants and names of the organs was food for thought. A nicely preserved countryside and the perfect setting for period movies, it was a pleasant day spent in little, heritage village of Lacock.
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