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Lydiard Park

March 17, 2024

Lydiard Park is a 260-acre (110-hectare) country park at Lydiard Tregoze, which was its former name,[1] about 3 miles (5 km) west of central Swindon, Wiltshire, England, in West Swindon parish, near Junction 16 of the M4 motorway.

Lydiard Park collage

The park, which is included on the Historic England Register of Historic Parks and Gardens at Grade II, surrounds the Grade I listed Lydiard House, a mansion built in the 17th and 18th centuries.

History edit

A settlement at Lediar, with woodland, is mentioned in the Domesday Book[2] and was owned by the Tregoze family from about 1198.[3] In 1259, Henry III gave Robert Tregoze a royal licence to create a deer park in nearby woodland.[1] In 1420 the estate came by marriage to the St John family (whose seat was at Battersea, London), and they owned it until the Second World War.[3]

Formal gardens and a canal were created as part of changes made to the medieval house in the 17th century; Sir John St John also laid out a series of formal avenues.[4] However, many of the formal elements of the park had been removed by 1766.[1] Surviving features from the 18th century include a semi-underground listed ice house[5] and a walled garden,[6] with a bronze sundial at its centre.[7] Large parts of the park were sold off in the 1920s and 1930s.[4]

From 1942 the park was used as a military hospital by the American Forces, and then between about 1943 and about March 1946 it was a Prisoner of War hospital for German soldiers as POW camp No.160. In 1943,[4] Councillor and Alderman Francis Akers bought the estate and the dilapidated house at auction and sold the whole to the local authority, the Corporation of Swindon, for £4,500.[citation needed]

 
Part of lake and park, with house and church tower in the background

Since 1955, the park has been open to the public all year round. The park was designated Grade II on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens in 1987, as an example of a mid-18th century park having archaeological evidence of its 17th-century formal layout.[4] The walls of the walled garden are Grade II listed[6] as is the sundial within it.[7]

In 2005, Swindon Borough Council received £3m from the Heritage Lottery Fund towards a restoration project which included reinstating a two-acre lake.[8] The park hosted Radio 1's Big Weekend in 2009.[9]

In 2017, the park was transferred from Lydiard Tregoze parish to the newly created West Swindon parish.[10][11]

As a result of the 2022 heatwaves, traces of formal gardens thought to date from the 17th century became visible from the air.[12]

Lydiard House edit

 
Lydiard House from the southwest

The manor house, known as Lydiard House or Lydiard Park, has medieval origins and was remodelled in the 17th century and the 1740s, when the south and east fronts were reworked in Palladian style, probably by Roger Morris. The house was designated as Grade I listed in 1955.[13]

When the estate was bought by Swindon Corporation, almost none of the original furnishings remained. In the 1950s, the corporation began to collect suitable contents for the house, aiming in particular to restore the 18th century State Rooms. These efforts were much helped in 1955 when some good furniture arrived on loan from the National Art Collections Fund, part of the E. E. Cook bequest.[14] During the 1960s Lord Bolingbroke loaned several St John family portraits to the house and later sold them to the corporation. When he died in 1974, he bequeathed to the trustees of the house everything he owned which had come from it.

The art collection at Lydiard House includes landscapes and busts as well as portraits spanning over 300 years. The portraits include works by William Aikman, Michael Dahl, John Greenhill, Cornelius Johnson, Godfrey Kneller, Sir Peter Lely, Jonathan Richardson and Maria Verelst.[15]

The corporation's successor, Swindon Borough Council, owns and manages the house and park. The house, with its collections of furniture and art – including painted wall panels by Lady Diana Beauclerk – is open to the public in the summer months.[16] The house and a modern annex are operated as a conference centre and wedding venue, with accommodation for guests.[17]

Immediately north of the house stands the parish church of St Mary, which is all that remains of the medieval village. The church has 13th-century origins and was refurbished and enlarged in the 15th and 17th centuries; it is Grade I listed.[18]

In fiction edit

The dereliction of the hall and the declining fortunes of the St John family formed the backdrop of the 1967 novel The Heir of Starvelings by American writer Evelyn Berckman.[19]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c Parks & Gardens UK, accessed 5 June 2012
  2. ^ Lydiard [Tregoze] in the Domesday Book
  3. ^ a b Dunning, R.W.; Rogers, K.H.; Spalding, P.A.; Shrimpton, Colin; Stevenson, Janet H.; Tomlinson, Margaret (1970). Crittall, Elizabeth (ed.). "Victoria County History: Wiltshire: Vol 9 pp75-90 - Parishes: Lydiard Tregoze". British History Online. University of London. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  4. ^ a b c d Historic England. "Lydiard Park (1001238)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  5. ^ Historic England. "Ice House, approx. 200m west of Lydiard Park Mansion (1355896)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  6. ^ a b Historic England. "Walled Garden north-west of Lydiard Park (1023478)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  7. ^ a b Historic England. "Sundial (1283843)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  8. ^ "Restoration of park". Lydiard Park. Swindon Borough Council. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  9. ^ "BBC - Radio 1's Big Weekend - 2009 - Line Up". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  10. ^ "Election Maps: Great Britain". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  11. ^ . Swindon Borough Council. 2 February 2017. Archived from the original on 22 February 2017 – via Internet Archive.
  12. ^ "Lost Gardens of Lydiard revealed after heatwave". BBC News. 18 August 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  13. ^ Historic England. "Lydiard Park (1198420)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  14. ^ "Two George I chairs by Unknown Artist". Art Fund. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  15. ^ "Lydiard House". Art UK. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  16. ^ "Plan Your Visit". Lydiard Park. Swindon Borough Council. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  17. ^ "Conference Centre". Lydiard Park. Swindon Borough Council. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  18. ^ Historic England. "Church of St. Mary, Lydiard Park (1023470)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  19. ^ "10 Facts about Lydiard Park". Less Known Facts. 2 April 2017. Retrieved 24 May 2022.

Further reading edit

External links edit

  • Official website  
  • Lydiard House at Art UK
 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lydiard Park.

51°33′38″N 01°51′06″W / 51.56056°N 1.85167°W / 51.56056; -1.85167

March 17, 2024
lydiard, park, acre, hectare, country, park, lydiard, tregoze, which, former, name, about, miles, west, central, swindon, wiltshire, england, west, swindon, parish, near, junction, motorway, collagethe, park, which, included, historic, england, register, histo. Lydiard Park is a 260 acre 110 hectare country park at Lydiard Tregoze which was its former name 1 about 3 miles 5 km west of central Swindon Wiltshire England in West Swindon parish near Junction 16 of the M4 motorway Lydiard Park collageThe park which is included on the Historic England Register of Historic Parks and Gardens at Grade II surrounds the Grade I listed Lydiard House a mansion built in the 17th and 18th centuries Contents 1 History 2 Lydiard House 3 In fiction 4 References 5 Further reading 6 External linksHistory editA settlement at Lediar with woodland is mentioned in the Domesday Book 2 and was owned by the Tregoze family from about 1198 3 In 1259 Henry III gave Robert Tregoze a royal licence to create a deer park in nearby woodland 1 In 1420 the estate came by marriage to the St John family whose seat was at Battersea London and they owned it until the Second World War 3 Formal gardens and a canal were created as part of changes made to the medieval house in the 17th century Sir John St John also laid out a series of formal avenues 4 However many of the formal elements of the park had been removed by 1766 1 Surviving features from the 18th century include a semi underground listed ice house 5 and a walled garden 6 with a bronze sundial at its centre 7 Large parts of the park were sold off in the 1920s and 1930s 4 From 1942 the park was used as a military hospital by the American Forces and then between about 1943 and about March 1946 it was a Prisoner of War hospital for German soldiers as POW camp No 160 In 1943 4 Councillor and Alderman Francis Akers bought the estate and the dilapidated house at auction and sold the whole to the local authority the Corporation of Swindon for 4 500 citation needed nbsp Part of lake and park with house and church tower in the backgroundSince 1955 the park has been open to the public all year round The park was designated Grade II on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens in 1987 as an example of a mid 18th century park having archaeological evidence of its 17th century formal layout 4 The walls of the walled garden are Grade II listed 6 as is the sundial within it 7 In 2005 Swindon Borough Council received 3m from the Heritage Lottery Fund towards a restoration project which included reinstating a two acre lake 8 The park hosted Radio 1 s Big Weekend in 2009 9 In 2017 the park was transferred from Lydiard Tregoze parish to the newly created West Swindon parish 10 11 As a result of the 2022 heatwaves traces of formal gardens thought to date from the 17th century became visible from the air 12 Lydiard House edit nbsp Lydiard House from the southwestThe manor house known as Lydiard House or Lydiard Park has medieval origins and was remodelled in the 17th century and the 1740s when the south and east fronts were reworked in Palladian style probably by Roger Morris The house was designated as Grade I listed in 1955 13 When the estate was bought by Swindon Corporation almost none of the original furnishings remained In the 1950s the corporation began to collect suitable contents for the house aiming in particular to restore the 18th century State Rooms These efforts were much helped in 1955 when some good furniture arrived on loan from the National Art Collections Fund part of the E E Cook bequest 14 During the 1960s Lord Bolingbroke loaned several St John family portraits to the house and later sold them to the corporation When he died in 1974 he bequeathed to the trustees of the house everything he owned which had come from it The art collection at Lydiard House includes landscapes and busts as well as portraits spanning over 300 years The portraits include works by William Aikman Michael Dahl John Greenhill Cornelius Johnson Godfrey Kneller Sir Peter Lely Jonathan Richardson and Maria Verelst 15 The corporation s successor Swindon Borough Council owns and manages the house and park The house with its collections of furniture and art including painted wall panels by Lady Diana Beauclerk is open to the public in the summer months 16 The house and a modern annex are operated as a conference centre and wedding venue with accommodation for guests 17 Immediately north of the house stands the parish church of St Mary which is all that remains of the medieval village The church has 13th century origins and was refurbished and enlarged in the 15th and 17th centuries it is Grade I listed 18 In fiction editThe dereliction of the hall and the declining fortunes of the St John family formed the backdrop of the 1967 novel The Heir of Starvelings by American writer Evelyn Berckman 19 References edit a b c Parks amp Gardens UK accessed 5 June 2012 Lydiard Tregoze in the Domesday Book a b Dunning R W Rogers K H Spalding P A Shrimpton Colin Stevenson Janet H Tomlinson Margaret 1970 Crittall Elizabeth ed Victoria County History Wiltshire Vol 9 pp75 90 Parishes Lydiard Tregoze British History Online University of London Retrieved 15 May 2018 a b c d Historic England Lydiard Park 1001238 National Heritage List for England Retrieved 14 May 2018 Historic England Ice House approx 200m west of Lydiard Park Mansion 1355896 National Heritage List for England Retrieved 14 May 2018 a b Historic England Walled Garden north west of Lydiard Park 1023478 National Heritage List for England Retrieved 14 May 2018 a b Historic England Sundial 1283843 National Heritage List for England Retrieved 15 May 2018 Restoration of park Lydiard Park Swindon Borough Council Retrieved 14 May 2018 BBC Radio 1 s Big Weekend 2009 Line Up www bbc co uk Retrieved 24 May 2022 Election Maps Great Britain Ordnance Survey Retrieved 26 February 2024 Community governance review Swindon Borough Council 2 February 2017 Archived from the original on 22 February 2017 via Internet Archive Lost Gardens of Lydiard revealed after heatwave BBC News 18 August 2022 Retrieved 18 August 2022 Historic England Lydiard Park 1198420 National Heritage List for England Retrieved 14 May 2018 Two George I chairs by Unknown Artist Art Fund Retrieved 14 May 2018 Lydiard House Art UK Retrieved 13 June 2022 Plan Your Visit Lydiard Park Swindon Borough Council Retrieved 14 May 2018 Conference Centre Lydiard Park Swindon Borough Council Retrieved 14 May 2018 Historic England Church of St Mary Lydiard Park 1023470 National Heritage List for England Retrieved 17 May 2018 10 Facts about Lydiard Park Less Known Facts 2 April 2017 Retrieved 24 May 2022 Further reading editPevsner Nikolaus Cherry Bridget revision 1975 1963 Wiltshire The Buildings of England 2nd ed Harmondsworth Penguin Books pp 318 319 ISBN 0 14 0710 26 4 External links editOfficial website nbsp Lydiard House at Art UK nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lydiard Park 51 33 38 N 01 51 06 W 51 56056 N 1 85167 W 51 56056 1 85167 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Lydiard Park amp oldid 1210466805 Lydiard House, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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