There were some reasons why I strongly wished to visit Lacock, a small village with a 800 year history. First the almost entire village is managed by National Trust. That safely allowed me to expect that it would be a charming village with remarkable historical buildings that I wouldn't want to miss as a National Trust member. Second, Lacock is a filming location for Harry Potter. Some streets were used in Downton Abbey as well as Pride and Prejudice as well!
The house below was Harry's Parents house! Lacock turned into Godric's Hollow, a small community in where they as well as Dumbledore family lived. The fictional village "centred on a village square with only a church, a post office, a pub, and a few retail shops." Lacock was perfect!
Lacock was also Budleigh Babberton, a village in where Horace Slughorn, the Potions Master lived. The red brick house was his house! Harry and Professor Dumbledore flew to the village and met him in the house.
While we were wandering the village, we found a bakery. I guess it was the only bakery there. It was a small place with only a few tables, but served what we just needed for breakfast - tea, a large mince pie for me, and a kind of savory pastry for J.
Lacock Abbey, a 13th century Augustinian nunnery and the home of Henry Fox Talbot, an English scientist, inventor and photography pioneer in the 19th century was Hogwarts in Harry Potter's earlier films. Cloisters, Warming Room, Sacristy, and Chapter House were corridors, classrooms, the study hall and a secret room where Harry found a magic mirror. Brilliant!
The abbey's Great Hall was just a single large Gothic room and there were not much to see. The Christmas decoration was nice, though. We couldn't enter any other rooms from there. I wondered whether the Great Hall or other rooms might have also used for Harry Potter, but I haven't found any clue so far.
The last but not least reason I wanted to visit Lacock was the house below. J and I were very happy to see it in person. I would be surprised if anyone finds out why. Rather I would love to meet the person!
Time flew! It was already lunch time. We had a reservation at Sign of the Angel, a 15th century inn now used as a restaurant with rooms. The outside of the building was supposed to be seen in Harry Potter, too, but I haven't confirmed it yet.
We were seated at a table set in front of the large fireplace. The hostess added logs once a while to keep the fire going, saying that the room easily gets cold. Certainly when the entrance door opened, the cold air outside blew into the room. With her attention to the fireplace and a plenty of sunlights thought the window, the room was warm, bright and cozy. Plus, until the almost end of our lunch, we didn't share the room with other guests. Somehow they were brought to the other dinning rooms. The room was very peaceful.
We both picked two courses. J had a starter and a main; I did a main and a dessert. The choice clearly presented our personalities. His starter was Smoked Mackerel Pate - beetroot toast, pickled cucumber, crispy seaweed, caper and lemon emulsion for a starter. I think he enjoyed it.
His main was Roast Breast of Pheasant - bacon and sage stuffing, roast potatoes, seasonal vegetables, and red wine gravy. Mine was Rare Striploin of Beef - Yorkshire pudding, beef dripping roast potatoes, seasonal vegetables and port gravy. I have been dreaming about Sunday roast, especially Yorkshire pudding recently somehow. Surprisingly my dream came true in Lacock! Although some part of beef was a little chewy and the potatoes were so hot that burned my mouth, overall the dish was delicious and satisfying.
My dessert was Baked Pear Frangipane - vanilla bean custard, toasted almond, apple, mulled ice cream. Delightful! Lacock was truly worth the visit.
To be continued...
