AS we move towards Melksham we stop off for a glimpse at historic Lacock.

The name Lacock comes from the Saxon Lacuc, meaning little stream, this being the Bide Brook around which the village has grown.

When the Doomsday Survey was made, Lacock belonged to Edward of Salisbury, who was Sheriff of Wiltshire and was valued with its two mills and woodland at seven pounds. Lacock was given to the National Trust in 1944, ensuring that the village would remain unspoilt.

Our archive picture from 1933 appeared in the London Illustrated News and shows West Street, which used to be part of the main Chippenham to Melksham road. The building line is exactly the same as it is today but gone are the horse and cart, replaced with cars that look out of place in this historic setting.

Even in today's Lacock we notice the absence of television aerials. The National Trust, keen to keep the historic appearance of the village, has television signals piped into houses from an aerial on a hillside, avoiding unsightly aerials and wires.

Centrepiece of our archive picture is the George Inn, a building that has been a public house since 1361 and which is famous for its dog wheel, which used to be turned by a specially bred dog to cook huge pieces of meat over an open fire.

Lacock is one of 17 villages owned by a National Trust but is the favourite among film makers with scenes from Harry Potter, Moll Flanders, Emma and Pride and Prejudice being filmed there.