The last major commission by the late British photographer Martin Parr will open this month at Lacock Abbey, bringing one of photography’s most influential careers full circle.
Lacock by Martin Parr opens on 27 June 2026 at the Fox Talbot Museum, presenting work made during the photographer’s final year and returning him to a village he first photographed more than four decades ago.
For anyone familiar with Parr’s legacy, the setting feels almost impossibly fitting. Long before he became photography’s international patron saint of British eccentricity, dodgy buffets and uncomfortable leisure activities, Parr was wandering the streets of Lacock with a camera, honing the documentary style that would eventually make him one of the most recognisable photographers in history.
Back where it all began
Now, in what became his final major commission before his death in 2025, Parr returned to the Wiltshire village to photograph its fêtes, flower shows, VE Day celebrations and community gatherings.
The resulting exhibition offers something more than a nostalgic look back. It feels like a photographer taking stock. The same curiosity remains, as does the trademark eye for absurdity, but these pictures also carry the weight of a lifetime spent observing Britain and the British.
Presented at the birthplace of photography, the former home of pioneer Henry Fox Talbot, the exhibition has an added layer of symbolism. As Lacock helped shape Parr’s early photographic vision, it also became the setting for his final substantial body of work.
Parr’s widow Susie said, “It is such a bittersweet experience for me to look through these photos of Lacock taken by Martin over the past year. There are so many echoes from his work throughout his long career. 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. What a great way to end such a distinguished career, back in the home of photography.”
Photobook
Alongside the exhibition, visitors will be able to see a film documenting the project and purchase an accompanying photobook featuring the images, with a foreword by Susie.
Parr, who died last year aged 73, leaves behind one of the most influential photographic legacies of the past half-century. A member and former president of Magnum Photos, he published more than 150 books and established the Martin Parr Foundation in Bristol in 2017.
If the exhibition proves anything, it is that even at the end of a distinguished career, Parr remained fascinated by the peculiar theatre of everyday British life. Fortunately for the rest of us, he never stopped looking.
Lacock by Martin Parr opens at the Fox Talbot Museum at Lacock Abbey on 27 June 2026 and runs until 27 June 2027.
Related reading:
- Photography world stunned by death of Martin Parr at 73
- I Am Martin Parr: a love letter to renowned British photographer
- What’s it like to exhibit alongside Martin Parr and Don MCullin?
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