This week I was asked to look at King John’s hunting lodge in Lacock. As might be expected from its position next to St Cyriac’s Church this rather unprepossessing building, now a tea-room, was likely to be a building of some importance. Documentary research so far has been unsuccessful in establishing the early history, so it is not known for certain whether King John enjoyed forays into the forest of Melksham from this spot. Lacock was only a small settlement when the Conqueror took his Domesday survey. The village seen today is supposed to have been planted or planned by Ela, the first Abbess of Lacock, which itself was situated at this previous settlement.

 
The Hunting Lodge

The front of the lodge building is of earlier 18^th century appearance in a comfortable, cottagey style, having a rubblestone construction with stone mullioned windows. The upper floor windows peep forwards from a deep tiled roof. The proprietor, Mrs Vaughan, lives in the Lodge and keeps her tea-room in the old stable at the rear. The stable itself is 19^th century in date but the lodge holds all the early interest. A heavy timber cross-frame seen in the entrance hall is all that is left of 13^th century two-storeyed timber building. One pointed-arched doorway of a group of 4 remains today. It must have once led into a now-vanished buttery or pantry, with the upper pair of doorways leading into bed-chambers or solar. The ground level has also since risen so one can imagine mediaeval ghosts passing through the doorway up to their knees in concrete, perhaps dragging a deer carcase into the larder. Please 'read more'...

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Hi there I'm Dorothy Treasure and I'm the Building Recorder for Wiltshire County Council.  

It's funny how you think you get to know a place like Chippenham and then it surprises you. I was asked to look at the Rose and Crown pub in the town centre the other day with Mike Stone, curator of Chippenham Museum. This very fine hostelry has recently changed hands and the new owner, Dave Purton, was keen to find out as much as possible about the historic fabric. It dates from the 14^th or 15^th centuries and was originally timber-framed in a very ancient way using crucks - a form not seen in Wiltshire after about 1500. I wasn't expecting to do more than explore the ground and first floors so was dressed in my usual office garb of dress and best coat. I hadn't reckoned on Dave's intrepidity! Mike and I were persuaded to climb through a tiny loft opening to investigate. A good many years had passed since the last gymnast had navigated the timbers of that ancient roof and the dust had settled pretty thickly.

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