Lacock Abbey is known as the birthplace of photography made famous by William Henry Fox Talbot who invented the salted paper and calotype processes, precursors to photographic processes of the later 19th and 20th centuries.
It was an incredible moment for me to capture this historic site that laid the foundation of modern-day non-digital photographic prints.
I studied photography at Manchester Polytechnic. Lacock was a village I passed through whenever I drove home to Dorset. I knew the importance of the Abbey to the history of photography.
Many Many years ago I also visited Lacock, and because there was a no photography policy at the Museum I went armed with a little rank mamiya rangefinder 35 mm camera with a silent shutter, unfortunate for me the then Curator saw me taking a photo and came over to talk to me, his name was Mr Lassam. Thought I was in trouble but he said hello and was very interested in my old camera as he said they had the exact same model in the Museum. A very approachable man full of enthusiasm for his job. After telling him that I was a working pro photographer working for the Army he invited me into his office where we spoke all things photography , he showed me a gold plated Nikon think it was a F3 that was taken too the moon but the highlight was handling FoxTalbots original negatives and mousetrap cameras. What a lovely man. It is a place that everyone with an interest in photography should bust. I am now nearly 80 and think this happened in my late 20’s but my memories of this place are still very vivid, cheers Len
