Last Saturday was Lacock Abbey’s Christmas in the Cloisters event with just under 40 stalls against the glorious back-drop of the medieval structure. 

Karen Bolger, Visitor Service Manager, who helped to organise the yearly event, said: “This is our sixth one this year, but it is growing in momentum. At first we only had about fifteen stalls, now just under forty.”

The cloistered abbey has been the location for many films including Harry Potter, but it was more of a seasonal magic which gripped the day. 

“I think it is getting a big following. We started planning if in July and I was trying not to think about Christmas then!”

Arts, crafts, local produce and unique goods were scattered about with popular festive songs echoing down the halls and already there is anticipation for next year’s event.

Brian Kent, a volunteer for the National Trust, has helped out these past three years and agreed it was hard to resist falling into the spirit of the season.

“It seems to be doing well, we have got a lot of people coming,” Mr Kent said before adding, “There are mostly Christmas stalls and crafts.”

Anne Wyles, from The India Shop, has had a fair-trade stall at the Christmas in the Cloisters event since its first began. “I love the fair,” she said, “It makes me feel like this is the start of Christmas.” 

With rosy-cheeked visitors wrapped in chunky knitted scarves and singing merrily along to Slade’s ‘Merry Christmas Everybody’, it’s not hard to see why.