It’s an historic landmark forever linked to a character with a lightning bolt scar.

Now there are plans to give 13th century Lacock Abbey greater protection from the destructive effects of a lightning strike.

Its owner the National Trust has applied to Wiltshire Council for permission to put up a lightning protection system on the medieval building.

A document lodged with council planners says the application follows a recent risk assessment of the grade one building, a onetime nunnery that became the home of photography pioneer William Henry Fox Talbot.

It was famously used as Hogwarts school in the first two Harry Potter films.

The trust document says: “The abbey has international significance for several outstanding phases of architectural development and would be an irreplaceable loss if damaged by a lightning strike or fire.”

The application is for a Faraday cage system, which is a meshed system of down conductors across a building.

The heritage, access and design document adds: “Significant time, attention to detail and consideration to limit damage to fabric and the overall aesthetics have been given to the design of the Faraday cage lightning protection system by the designer, and knowledgeable and experienced senior heritage experts within the National Trust. The proposed design has been developed to provide the least possible impact to the historic fabric.”

It says the system could be attached within existing mortar joints, and that its associated inspection pits would be obscured by shrubbery, flower beds and lawn. The document adds that there should be no impact on any archaeological remains, or on bats who live around the abbey.

The preference for the down conductors would be to use 8mm circular aluminium structures, which would weather to a pale colour and be lost against the limestone of the roofs and elevations.

The report says: “It is also much easier to work into shape and follow the contours of the building without significant force being required.”

The trust said it had consulted the government agency Historic England over the plans.