The Ham Nomads

22 Sep 2014. <GB-ENG> Lacock, & Holt, Wilts —

Okay, today started off with Lacock.

Fox Talbot Museum

Fox Talbot's Study

1835 negative

1835 positive

Lacock Abbey, founded in 1232 and, with the Dissolution of the Monasteries, converted into a country house in about 1540, still preserves largely intact the fine medieval cloisters, sacristy, chapter house and monastic rooms of the Abbey. It was originally an Augustinian nunnery, but became the home of William Sharington in Tudor times, but later the home of the Fox Talbot family. William Henry Fox Talbot, the most famous of these, lived here till his death in 1877. He is known for developing the negative-positive photographic process known as the calotype, and is commonly regarded as the father of modern photography. The first ever photograph using this process still exists, and is of the oriel window in Lacock Abbey. There is a museum here, documenting early photography and Fox Talbot's part in it. Nicéphore Niépce is often credited with the invention of photography, but his process of hardening bitumen in light, then washing out the unhardened part with lavender oil, was primitive, required inordinately long exposure times, and produced poor images. Daguerre's 'Daguerrotype', and similar processes, could only produce one image which, although satisfactory, was not reproducible. Fox Talbot's process allowed multiple copies to be made from the one negative, allowing him to publish a book, The Pencil of Nature, illustrated with actual photographs. This was indeed photography as we know it!

Chapter House

Cloister

Lacock Abbey has another claim to fame — it provided some of Hogwarts' rooms in the first two Harry Potter films! The Cloister featured in the Mrs Norris cat scenes, Professor Snape's laboratory was the Sacristy, and the classroom was filmed in the nuns' Warming House. Parts of the 2008 film The Other Boleyn Girl were filmed here, and many other films were made here. The village itself features as 'Cranford' in the BBC period drama of the same name.

Huge Monkey Puzzle Tree

A very pleasant morning spent wandering the Museum, the Abbey, and the village, and then we left for nearby Holt. Here what can only be described as an industrial site was converted in the early 20th century into a totally delightful garden inspired by the Arts and Crafts style, The Courts Garden. In a period of 3 years its short-time owner George Hastings laid out the plans which have been followed to this day. The various owners had differing enthusiasm for the garden, but since Major Clarence Goff gave the garden to the National Trust in 1944, the spirit of the work of Lady Cecilia Goff and of her daughter Moyra with the garden has been carried on. It is a garden mainly of perennials, herbaceous borders, a large arboretum, an orchard of fruit trees, and a kitchen garden. The topiary of the yews and hollies is bizarre at times, but always interesting. We came to the garden just as the trees were starting to take on their autumn colouring.

Topiary

Flowers

Grapes

Minotaur in Arboretum

'Temple'

More topiary

After enjoying the garden for a couple of hours, we adjourned to the car park. Our alternator belt had been making a lot od noise, and we noticed a sign by the carpark for AP Servicing Ltd, just round the corner. We called in, and asked Andy if he could help. Oh that all mechanics we just drop in on were as helpful! He even has a website — www.apservicing.co.uk.

We then made our way towards Stonehenge, to the same layby we stayed at last time, in order to make an early start tomorrow for the Autumnal Equinox festivities there.

Distance driven — today, 46 miles ( 74 km ); to date, 7,951 miles ( 12,796 km )