While staying in Wiltshire, and having visited the nearby, much larger Lacock Abbey, it was a pleasure for us to find a much smaller and more personal home that has an interesting history.
It’s a very well preserved 15th century building, and as such has been used in several films and television programmes, most recently in Poldark. It has a moat, barns (where there is a coffee shop) a gatehouse and well-kept gardens that are worth a visit. The church adjacent to the house is not part of the National Trust, but can also be visited at a small cost.
Entrance to the house is by guided tour only, as it remains the home of the family who donated it to the Trust, but it is always interesting to hear to commentary of someone who knows the property well. We had a comprehensive description of the history of the house, with many original features still visible, and it was possible to see how it had been adapted to modern day living needs.
One of the NT’s smaller properties, but nonetheless worth a visit.
“Link to website of the house”:https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/great-chalfield-manor-and-garden
