Swindon in the Past Lane

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...

  Swindon is an interesting town – no, honestly it is. From medieval market town to Victorian industrial hub, Swindon had members of the aristocracy living at Lydiard House and innovative engineers in New Swindon. We are surrounded by heritage at every turn. In West Swindon you might think the ancient agricultural heritage had been lost beneath the 1980s housing development, but even here there is plenty of evidence remaining. Wick Farmhouse and the neighbouring properties overlook the field which gives the housing estate its name – the Prinnels. In 1841, following the Tithe Commutation Act 1836, records reveal that Jonas Clarke farmed 150 acres of land at Wick, but the history of the farm goes back much further than that. Owned by Alfred of Marlborough when the Domesday survey was compiled in 1086 the farm passed to the Ewyas family down through the Tregoze, Grandison and Beauchamp families to the St. Johns who owned it for more than 500 years. The Victorian Wick Lane now fo...

Lydiard Park looked very different when I moved to West Swindon with my young family thirty years ago. For one thing the restored 18th century lake wasn't there. Created by John (Jack) Viscount St John who ploughed his wife's fortune into remodelling Lydiard House and landscaping the grounds, the lake had been lost at the beginning of the 20th century when the dam wall burst. I remember thirty years ago the whole area was - well, I'm not sure exactly what I remember now. I wish I had taken photographs before it was transformed during the Landscape Restoration Project in 2006. Today there is a large play-park behind the Forest Cafe. When my children were young the play-park was slightly removed and in the trees. There was a tall slide with a perilous rocky climb to get back to the top, swings, balancing equipment and a busy zip-line. With the creation of the new play-park, the old one was demolished and the area received a makeover. Today it is an enclosed area for pri...

Nature, red in tooth and claw is very much in evidence on the lakes at Lydiard, and I'm grateful I am not a mother of chicks.  During the Coronavirus lockdown it has been my habit to take an early morning walk through Lydiard Park. I have watched cowslips appear in the churchyard at St Mary's, the wild garlic blossom and the bluebells bob and dance. Red and white campion grow densely down to the waters edge where nature's progress takes little heed of Covid 19. The medieval lake was once a lot more than an ornamental water feature, producing fish for the table. Perfectly camouflaged it provides the water fowl in Lydiard Park a perfect des res in which to nest and raise their young before making an appearance on the 18th century showpiece lake. An Armada of ducklings sail across the water's surface, appearing as a mere blur in my photographs and in recent weeks I have eagerly awaited the emergence of the swans from their island hideway. The only breeding...

Lady Johanna St John's 1680 book of pills, potions and plasters is a rare survivor of the type of manual every well to do 17th century woman compiled. A collection of recipes recorded for their efficiency, part of her housekeeping arsenal against the myriad of marauding illnesses. The book is held at the   Wellcome Library   and is available to view online. Lady Johanna, doyenne of Lydiard Park, collected recipes from doctors, family members and even her servants. A poultice for a Burne or Scald Blast Bite or St Antonys Fire (an inflammation of the skin) was recommended by her servant Susan Foot. The ingredients included: 'Pikked Ivie that runns upon the ground; a pound of hard Kidney mutton suit and a pennyworth of salad oyle'. Grace Bennett's 1930s school exercise book is another rare survivor, if less famous, and provides an equally foreign glimpse but this time into the fairly recent past. Grace was a pupil at Newbury Park Senior Girls School, Ilford and ...