Lydiard Friends

We are delighted to feature Pete Melsom in our "Meet a Friend" column. If you've attended any of our events and meetings,...

Colin Davies and his wife Marion have been members of the Friends since 2005 after Colin’s work at the BMW group in...

Last month Per-Axel Warensjo stepped down as a Trustee of the Friends of Lydiard Park and we’d like to take this...

  If you undertake a Wednesday wander through the fabulous walled garden at Lydiard Park, there, amongst the apples,...

Pauline contributed a lovely piece to our ‘Meet a Friend’ feature in 2020 when Covid was uppermost in so many people’s...

Letter from Lady Johanna St.John to her steward, mentioning head gardener "Ruddler" Adrian Rudler has an impressive...

On 2nd May, 2024, Lydiard Friend Florence St.John Heller turns 100. We'd like to join all Florence's friends and family in...

In this third and final reflection, Gill Carne recalls meetings with Lydiard’s last lord, Vernon St.John Viscount...

What was it like to be immersed in parish life in the 1960s, bring up a family and enable her husband, Revd. Brian Carne, to...

Held in great affection by all who know her, Gill Carne has been part of our Friends community for over fifty years....

Our man in Hawaii! Greg Shepherd is a professor of music and theatre at Kauai Community College in Hawaii, USA. He tells us...

‘After a long and happy career in General Practice, as retirement beckoned I began thinking of what to do.  When my sons...

Life Member of the Friends, Christine has clocked up a fantastic record, transcribing 50 historic wills relating to Lydiard...

This month we have a very special “Friend of the Month” piece from Anne Barr, who recalls her memories of first meeting...

Our Friend of the Month is Debra Melsom, whose ancestors lived and worked within the Bolingbroke estate, worshipped and...

April James joined the Friends in 2021 and provides minute-taking support to the Trustees at their regular meetings. I...

Mike Montagu is the Host & Historian at Ditchley Park in Oxfordshire where he was until very recently Bursar for over...

It was a lucky day for the Friends when Julie joined us! Here she describes the surprise gift which turned into years of...

My first encounter with Lydiard House and Park was in the summer of 1965 when one Saturday afternoon my father announced...

After some years of commuting within my love triangle, Bournemouth being home, Bristol for work and Swindon to visit my...

‘Living in Shaw as a boy in the 1960’s Lydiard Park was our playground, being only about five fields away.  We messed...

‘For as long as I can remember I have been fascinated by graveyards and cemeteries’ says Tania O’Halloran. ‘ They...

From English Heritage outreach programmes to the restoration of the parkland and a paranormal experiment, Bruce Hedge has...

Since supporting the Friends successful campaign to protect Lydiard House and Park from outsourcing in 2016/17, art lover...

From Commonweal School and Cub Scout camp at Lydiard Park to commanding The 6th Queen Elizabeth’s Own Gurkha Rifles, Nigel...

Brought Up Of Nought: A History of the Woodvile Family by Lynda J. Pidgeon As a Swindonian I was always familiar with...

From his home, Belladrum in Scotland, long standing Friend Joe Gibbs describes the family connections with Lydiard Park that...

Local historian and Friends of Lydiard Park trustee Frances Bevan has been breathing life into Lydiard characters and...

My first visit to Lydiard Tregoze was in the fifth year at Sir Walter St John’s School in Battersea when a small party of...

“When my husband and I moved to Swindon eight years ago to be nearer the children, we did not know that Swindon had a park...

I first became interested in Lydiard House after a visit in 1983 to see the new extension project with the Borough...

Kate Griffin, her family and a very special pony called Sidney became familiar faces at Lydiard Park during the 1980’s,...

Our Friend of the Month for March is retired teacher Jane Caudwell, a regular “jogger” taking part in the weekly Lydiard...

This month our “Friend of the Month” is Billy Beaumont who talks here about what he loves about Lydiard and how he draws...