Swindon Heritage Strategy document

Ahead of the Council Meeting on Thursday, November 12 and the motion Cllr Jim Robbins is due to propose, I have been re-reading the Swindon Heritage Strategy produced by Swindon Borough Council in 2013.

It's a brave document, in fact there is a whole section on bravery (page 13) and working together and trusting one another.

There is also a paragraph (page 16) all about Lydiard House and Park and the investments made which have led to increased numbers of visitors and earned income potential.

On page 7 under the heading 'Vision' there is a bullet point that reads:

Develop partnerships between voluntary, public and business sectors to develop the action plan.

But it doesn't say anything about giving prospective business partners a 21 year lease and losing control of what goes on at our Council owned heritage sites, which of course, belong to the people of Swindon.

The Swindon Heritage Strategy is a very cleverly worded document, and it says a lot of things we all wanted to hear; it appeared to offer protection for our heritage sites.

I'd now like those who were concerned in the compilation of the Heritage Strategy to re-examine what they wrote in 2013 and I ask is this rushed proposal to lease off Lydiard House and Park true to the spirit of the Heritage Strategy?

Important notice:

Comments

My neck of the woods

Did you know that our neck of the woods was once just that - part of a wood, a very big wood? And not just any old wood but a Royal forest no less - Braydon Forest. The origins of Braydon Forest date back to the 9th century and a belt of woodland stretching from the Thame Valley to the Vale of Blackmore and known to the Saxons as Sealwudu. The Saxon lords were pretty easy going, it would appear, and then along came the Normans with their system of forest law, courts and officialdom. Braydon became a royal forest by 1135 and in the 13th century it contained an area of some 46 square miles. The forest bounds included not only woodland but fields of arable, meadow and pasture and even villages such as those of Lydiard Tregoze, Lydiard Millicent and Purton. In 1256, during the reign of Henry III the king gave Robert Tregoze 3 bucks and 8 does from Braydon to restock his park at Lydiard Tregoze and in 1270 John Tregoze obtained a royal licence to 'inclose and impark' his woo...

Commercial Road

What a difference a few months make. For too long the dark empty windows of number 66-68 have stared out forlornly at the busy traffic along Commercial Road, but not any more. Today the windows shine brightly with the arrival of the Prospect Charity Shop selling a wide range of good quality items from books to comfy sofas to curl up on and lamps to read them by. For more than thirty years the Prospect Hospice in Wroughton has provided specialist end of life care. Today this service is also available at the Great Western Hospital and to people in their own homes. The Prospect Hospice is close to the hearts of the people of Swindon, particularly Swindon Society member Martin Vandervelde who has cycled many thousands of miles, raising more than £90,000 for the charity. Construction along Commercial Road dates from around 1890 with local builders Joseph Ponting, James Hinton, Charles Williams and Joseph Williams quickly getting in on the act. Today Co...

Edith New - Swindon Suffragette

In 1906 the suffragette campaign entered its most violent phase. Over 500 women had been imprisoned by 1909 and right up there among the militant activists was a Swindon schoolteacher. Edith Bessie New was born 17th March, 1877 at 24 North Street, Swindon, the fourth of Frederic and Isabelle New's five children. Frederic worked as a railway clerk at the GWR Works and Isabelle was a music teacher. An assistant mistress at Queenstown Infant School from 1899-1901, Edith subsequently left her Swindon home to teach in the deprived areas of Deptford and Lewisham. It was after hearing the charismatic Emmeline Pankhurst speak at a meeting in Trafalgar Square that Edith joined the Women's Social and Political Union. In February 1907 a deputation of suffragettes marched on the House of Commons in protest at the omission of votes for women from the King's speech. What had begun as a peaceful demonstration ended in a violent confrontation with police. Edith was among those arr...

Swindon in the Past Lane

Search This Blog