Swindon in the Past Lane

If you are spending the afternoon in Lydiard Park why not call in at the historic church of St Mary's? Open every weekend afternoon and today there is a Strawberry Tea on offer as well. If you're plotting your own family tree, come and see how Sir John St John did his. The magnificent 17th century St John polyptych will be open today revealing the St John Tudor connections. Come and marvel at the 14th century wall paintings, the medieval glass and the stunning St John Bed Stead memorial. Then join me on a guided churchyard walk where I will tell you about the ordinary country folk who have worshipped in this fascinating church. Meet Jonas Clark who lived with Alice Pinnell for more than 30 years and had seven children before he could marry her. Why was Martha Hale buried in Radnor Street Cemetery, Swindon and not with her husband Charles here at St Mary's. And what is the significance of the butterfly on Vernon, Viscount Bolingbroke's headstone? The church...

If you enjoy the guided walks at Radnor Street Cemetery, you may like to join me on a new venture, exploring the churchyard at the historic St Mary’s Church in Lydiard Park. A church has stood on this site for more than 1,000 years and the building that survives is full of historic gems. Sir Simon Jenkins, columnist, editor, author and former Chair of the National Trust said ‘were it to be removed lock stock and barrel to the Victoria and Albert Museum in London it would cause a national sensation’. Until the 1980s West Swindon development, St Mary’s Church had been at the centre of a small rural parish where tenant farmers and agricultural workers worshipped, married, brought their babies to be christened and were eventually laid to rest in the churchyard. Today some of the farmhouses still survive, among them Brook House Farm, which is a pub and Toothill Farm, a community centre and although former farmland has disappeared beneath the housing developments the h...