And on to Lacock....

Upon leaving the picturesque village of Castle Combe, our group headed to the sweet town of Lacock,

another timeless and traditional English village,

first founded in 1232 and with most houses built in the 18th century or much earlier.

Almost untouched in the last few centuries,

the village has been the backdrop for many movies and period dramas,

including Pride and Prejudice, Cranford, Emma,

and a couple of Harry Potter films.

Situated in the center of the village is Lacock Abbey, first founded  in the 13th century as a nunnery,

which was converted into a country house of various architectural styles.

The cloister courtyard is especially picturesque. The cloisters and side rooms were converted into classrooms at Hogwarth Castle for the Harry Potter movies.

After touring the village which is almost completely owned by the National Trust, we found ourselves hungry, so we ducked into The Red Lion

to warm up and enjoy a Sunday roast.

And then sadly it was time to drive back into the city, leaving behind two magical villages that time has left untouched.

We had rented a Mercedes for the excursion, and were quite perplexed when a "cup" light illuminated  on the dashboard with a ding sound.

We wondered for a while--do British cars announce when it is time for tea?? After all, it was that time of the day!

Any guesses what it's for?

After a prolonged search in the owner's manual by our faithful "co-pilot" for the day, we finally realized that it was a warning signal that the driver was veering out of his lane, and might need to break for some caffeine. Needless to say, we got a good laugh out of that one, and stayed more focused on keeping our driver alert and staying in his own lane.

If you'd like to read a bit more about Lacock on a prettier day, this will direct you to earlier blogs after a 2010 visit, both here and here.

On the Harry Potter trail

After visiting the village of Lacock, we headed over to Lacock Abbey to see what remained from the 13th century.

Even though the temperatures were hovering at the freezing mark that sunny day, the snowdrop flowers were framing the abbey gardens.

Come in and take a further look.

Founded in 1232, the abbey prospered until the dissolution of the abbeys by Henry VIII. Some 832 religious communities were disbanded between 1536-41. It is still possible today, however, to see the cloisters, the chapter house, and the sacristy, along with several monastic rooms.

After 1539, it became a country home until 1944 when it was turned over to the National Trust. Pretty special house, I'd say!

Fast forward to the 21st century, and Lacock's claim to fame is as a setting for two of the Harry Potter films--Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (known in the States as the Sorceror's Stone) and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. You might remember in one scene that the gardens of the cloisters were covered with snow and held a fountain.

The cloisters and the side rooms were transformed into classrooms at the Hogwarts School.

Harry, Ron and Hermione left their footsteps here in the hallways.

And in the middle of the Warming room stands the cauldron featured in the movie.

Now for confession time: I've never read a Harry Potter book.  I've never watched a Harry Potter movie, but the odd thing is that Saturday night, I was flipping channels and what came up on the screen but Harry and his classmates in this very room in front of the boiling cauldron. And I have to tell you, I was intrigued. So..., if I was to take a first dip into the Harry Potter experience (just considering it, mind you) would you recommend reading the books or diving into the movies head-first?

And a giant Thank You to sweet Jenny at Pleasant Places for her kind words and for her gift of this award. You'll be treating yourself if you check out her blog too.