Swindon in the Past Lane

If you wondered what had happened to the Taylor Wimpey application to build on a field close to Lydiard House and Park, it hasn't gone away! Here is a link to Roger Ogle's report.  Please read the information below and consider making your objection - and do please share this blogpost. State bedroom fine architectural features Library Lady Bolingbroke taking tea on the front lawn Stable block area Stable block area Stable block Walled garden St Mary's Church, Lydiard Park St John family memorial details of boss in the Tudor barrel vaulted roof Medieval wall painting St John polyptych

Lydiard House and Park was busy today as families enjoyed the August sunshine. A steady stream of visitors filed through Lydiard House and front of house staff were heard to say it had been so busy they could have done with another pair of hands in the reception. With barbecue bookings booming and the Coach House Tea Rooms doing a roaring trade, had the parking charges deterred visitors? It didn't look like it. Get up close and personal with me in Lydiard House and the Walled Garden.

Three years ago I visited the newly revamped Avebury Manor . In 2010 the BBC in partnership with the National Trust refurbished and redecorated nine rooms in the empty manor house, each in a different period of history as part of a series called The Manor Reborn. (You can still view a few short clips  here). The fixtures and fittings were a mixture of antique fair purchases and creative up-cycling and in some cases new pieces made in the style of ...  As nothing is irreplaceable or intrinsic to the house, visitors are allowed, nay encouraged, to sit on the chairs, open cupboards and drawers and bounce on the beds. The whole project was something of an experiment and it is probably fair to say the National Trust had certain reservations, but it has been a resounding success and on each subsequent visit I have made the house has been busy, so much so there is a timed entry to prevent the rooms becoming too crowded. Now I'm not suggesting taking down the red ropes in the st...

Swindon Borough Council will be holding the second of its public engagement days at the Visitor Centre, Lydiard Park on Sunday November 22 from 9.30 am  to 3.30 pm. The evaluation form we are invited to fill in is woefully inadequate I feel. It includes the usual tick box exercise but the two sections where we are invited to express our feelings are headed - What do you value most about the site and what does it do well? and What do you value least and think could be improved? A lot of thought has obviously gone into these two statements, with the Council's ultimate objective in mind - the leasing out of the House and Parkland. I value everything at Lydiard House and Park and yes, of course there is room for improvement, as in all services and attractions everywhere, both publicly and privately owned. But I still believe this could be achieved under Council ownership with the allocation of profit sharing contracts where the Council retains control rather than long term lea...