Swindon in the Past Lane

The uncertainty surrounding the future of Lydiard House and Park ended yesterday when Swindon Borough Council confirmed that the Lydiard Park Heritage Trust was the preferred bidder in the outsourcing process. The decision itself will be taken at the cabinet meeting next Tuesday, March 15. Trustees of the not-for-profit Lydiard Park Heritage Trust include Sarah Finch-Crisp former Director of Chiswick House and Gardens Trust and previously Head of Heritage at Swindon Borough Council who led The Lydiard Park Restoration Project in 2005. The £5 million project saw the restoration of the 18 th century parkland, including the Walled Garden. Other trustees include Daniel Rose, who is chair of The Mechanics’ Institution Trust and sits on the Swindon Heritage board and Gary Bond, Managing Director of McArthurGlen who was responsible for the Swindon Railway works redevelopment (one of the largest regeneration projects in the UK).This role and his work at McArthurGlen has involved ...

Matt Holland from Lower Shaw Farm writes about arrangements in Swindon for this year's Holocaust Memorial Day on Friday January 27, 2017. The theme for this year is “How can life go on?” First, at 12.00 noon, there will be a short (20 minutes) wreath-laying ceremony by the Cenotaph, Regents Circus. Following this, at 12.30 pm, there will be a gathering for readings and reflection at the Friends Meeting House, Eastcott Hill, Swindon. NOTE: For this event, and in the spirit of the day, we welcome talks or presentations from individuals and groups. If you would like to speak or read at this gathering or know someone else who would like to, please contact the undersigned, beforehand or on the day. We welcome everyone who would like to speak. At this latter event, we expect to be together for approx 1 hour. As well as words and quiet time, there will be light lunchtime refreshments, including sandwiches and hot drinks, provided by Friends, whom we thank. Background Holocaust...

Council Leader David Renard stated in his column in the Advertiser this week that 't he council works very closely with heritage groups within the town' but there are many volunteers who would refute this assertion. Cllr Renard was answering claims that Swindon Borough Council neglects heritage assets following the disastrous  fire at the Coate Agricultural Museum on New Year's Eve.  He concluded his column with the following statement: 'Unfortunately, the passage of time does not make it easy to bring these buildings back to their former glory, but that does not mean we should not try. Letting our heritage fall by the wayside is not on our agenda.' Well sadly Cllr Renard, many of us feel it is. Save Swindon’s Heritage , a new facebook group formed following council tenant GLL’s announcement to develop part of the historic Health Hydro, a Grade II listed building, has registered more than 720 members in just 9 days. The listing of buildings came out of...

Charles II celebrated his restoration to the throne by engaging in a bit of home improvements on the Tudor built St James's Palace, London and a makeover in the surrounding parkland with a new canal some 2,560 ft long and 125 ft wide. In 1664 the Russian Ambassador to Charles gave the king a pair of pelicans to grace the new canal and 400 years later the tradition of pelicans in the park continues. But not to be outdone Sir Walter St John also made a contribution to the monarch's new park from his country home at Lydiard with a gift of some Muscovy ducks. Although Sir Walter had fought on the Parliamentary side in the Civil War and had been considered somewhat backward in kissing the hand of the recently restored king, you could say Sir Walter was almost 'family.' When Charles returned to England from exile he was accompanied by his favourite (well she was then) mistress Barbara Palmer, later to be created Countess Castlemaine. Barbara was Walter's great...

If you are dreaming of a White Christmas, spare a thought for the folk of 1881. In January 1881 Britain witnessed hitherto unparalleled weather conditions and The Times reported 'a walk across London suddenly assumed the dimensions of an Alpine adventure.' After several days of intense cold and black frost, blizzard conditions swept across southern regions of the country during the evening of Monday January 18. The storm raged for thirty six hours, at the end of which the death toll numbered twenty people within a 20 mile radius of Swindon. One casualty was George Cook, a farm labourer at Walcot Farm. George had brought a consignment of milk from the farm for despatch from Swindon junction. Returning home via Old Swindon, he stopped off to collect medicine for one of his children who was unwell. Travelling down the precipitous hill on Cricklade Street, George passed Christ Church where he suddenly plummeted into a snowdrift and became trapped. Fortunately residen...

What better subject for a 'nearly' Christmas post than tales of ghostly happenings in Lydiard House. Like any self respecting ancient property Lydiard House boasts a spectral presence or two.  But like a thing of beauty, could the Lydiard House phantoms be just an imaginative figment in the eye of the beholder. There have been the occasional sighting of a 17th century gentleman roaming the grounds and giving directions to lost visitors, supposedly Sir John St John, first baronet, who died in 1648. Sir John is depicted in portraits in the house and in St Mary's Church he can be seen recumbent on the magnificent Bedstead Monument and portrayed in the St John polyptych he commissioned in memory to his parents. Now I'm not saying that Sir John wasn't a thoroughly nice man, but my feelings are that he would be more likely to point a musket at visitors wandering about his estate rather than give them a guided tour. In 1996 Margaret North contributed an article to Th...

St. Mary’s Church Lydiard Tregoze, which lies on the western edge of Swindon in historic Lydiard Park, has received initial support* from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to conserve its gorgeous interiors. The project aims include conserving the buildings extensive medieval wall paintings, 17th Century monuments like the famous Golden Cavalier, ancient carved woodwork and star spangled ceiling. The grant of £131,700 towards this £186,700 phase will enable the church to complete its development plans and progress to applying for a full grant of £746,700 in 2017/18. The project aims to rescue the church from deteriorating further and improve public access, re-open the hidden south porch and create a welcoming interpretation and activity area. The church plans a wide range of educational activities and events as well as offering training and volunteer opportunities for local people, families, school children and higher education students. These will include hands on conservation works...