Martin Parr’s final photos paint vivid portrait of life in Lacock

Vivid portraits of village life taken by documentary photographer Martin Parr months before his death are now on display.

Parr, renowned for capturing the quiet rituals and absurdities of British life, was commissioned by the National Trust to capture life in Lacock, Wiltshire, during the spring and summer of 2025.

The resulting exhibition, which was his last major commission before his death in December at the age of 73, is at Lacock Abbey until June 2027.

Susie Parr said looking at her husband's photos of the village's flower show, VE Day events, annual scarecrow festival and Women's Institute meetings had been a "bittersweet experience".

Parr, who lived in Bristol up until his death, rose to prominence in the mid-1980s, with his study of working class people on holiday in New Brighton in Merseyside.

In 2017, he was commissioned by the BBC to create new idents for the broadcaster to "capture an evolving portrait of modern Britain in all its diversity".

And last year, four decades after first documenting life in Lacock, he again turned his flat but amused and sympathetic eye on the picturesque village to capture the smallest details of everyday life.

Susie said there were "so many echoes" from her husband's work "throughout his long career" in the collection.

"It's a credit to Martin that he made this work, so full of the life he loved, when his health was failing so dramatically," she said.

Lacock is known as Britain's birthplace of photography, having been home to Victorian photography pioneer Henry Fox Talbot.

Susie said: "What a great way to end such a distinguished career, back in the home of photography."

David Hudson, who owns the Quintessentially English shop in the village, said it was "brilliant" to be a "miniscule" part of Parr's legacy.

"Just the opportunity to meet an icon was great. He certainly puts you at your ease," he said.

"But you also knew that his raison d'etre was to sort of catch you in the off moment."

The exhibition includes images of a prize-winning potato and the Reverend Si Dunn kitted out in Union Jacks for VE celebrations

Aaron Laws, head teacher at Lacock Primary School, said Parr "obviously got that sense of community and something special" about the village.

"I believe originally he was intending to be here just for kind of one or two events.

"And then as the year went on, he kept on coming back."

His colleague Angela Gray said it was "nice to be something that people are amazed about".

"A lot of tourists come past and sometimes they even think we're actors," she added.

The village's flower show, VE Day events, Women's Institute meetings and scarecrow festival were all captured by Martin Parr

John Watling, a family jeweller who has lived in the village for more than 50 years, said it was fantastic Parr had "put a flag in the ground" which could be looked back on in years to come.

Dr Andy Cochrane, curator at Lacock Abbey, said the Wiltshire village was where "modern photography began", as well as later becoming a filming location for the Harry Potter films.

"Lacock is a place where history and photography meet pop culture - which made it the perfect subject for Martin Parr," he said.

"What we did not foresee is that this project would end up being his last major commission," he added.

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