Lydiard Country Park
Encyclopedia
Lydiard Tregoze
Lydiard Tregoze is a small village and civil parish on the western edge of Swindon in the County of Wiltshire, in the south west of England. It has in the past been spelt as Liddiard Tregooze and in other ways.-History:...
, 7 km (4.3 mi) west of central Swindon
Swindon
Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...
, Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, UK near Junction 16 of the M4
M4 motorway
The M4 motorway links London with South Wales. It is part of the unsigned European route E30. Other major places directly accessible from M4 junctions are Reading, Swindon, Bristol, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea...
.
The park contains Lydiard House
Lydiard House
Lydiard House is a manor located in Lydiard Park at Lydiard Tregoze, Swindon, Wiltshire. The house and surrounding land was originally owned by the Viscount Bolingbroke who owned the house for several centuries until the cost of caring for the house proved too high, and they were forced to sell...
, the former residence of the St John family, the Viscounts Bolingbroke
Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke
Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke was an English politician, government official and political philosopher. He was a leader of the Tories, and supported the Church of England politically despite his atheism. In 1715 he supported the Jacobite rebellion of 1715 which sought to overthrow the...
. The house was built in the Elizabethan style in the early 17th century, but was later updated by its owner Sir John St John during the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
.
It remained in the ownership of the St John family for over 500 years, but it was empty by 1943. It became a hospital for German prisoners of war, being allocated the number 160 as a p.o.w. camp. It still housed German soldiers as late as March, 1946.
Swindon Corporation was shamed by a schoolboy campaign into buying the property. They opened it to the public in 1955, and it remains open all year round. The house underwent a major restoration project, and was brought back to its original Palladian splendour. The house and grounds, though picturesque, are somewhat smaller than most English stately homes.
Recently, the estate has invested in a new playpark for children, replacing the old, nature-trail styled original.
In 2005, the park received £3m from the Heritage Lottery Fund towards a restoration project.
The park hosted Radio 1's Big Weekend in 2009.
External links
- Lydiard Park — Swindon Council's guide to Lydiard House & Park and the Lydiard Park restoration project.