Museum & Art Swindon, July 2024. C. Swindon Advertiser
Museum and Art Swindon opened its doors to the public on July 9th following four years under wraps and the development of a brand new facility in Swindon’s Art Deco Civic Offices. The Friends of Lydiard Park have been delighted to discover that Lydiard’s rich history has been woven into the new displays.
The new galleries transport visitors from the world of Swindon’s underwater dinosaurs, charting exciting Saxon and Roman discoveries and the social and industrial history of the town, its environs and lives of local people down the centuries. It is something of a revelation to see the breadth of the collection. The former museum site at Apsley House in Old Town did not have the space to do the collection justice so many objects, including those related to Lydiard House are being enjoyed by the public for the first time.
Cllr Marina Strinkovsky, Lydiard bottle display, July 2024
Members of the Friends who attended a preview of Museum and Art Swindon were quick to spot a display of 17th and early 18th century wine and spirit bottles that were dug up in the park in 1972. Known as onion and mallet bottles on account of their shape, they were designed to withstand transport on sailing ships, with the wider shape and flat bottoms being more stable on rough seas. To discover more about Lydiard Archaeology, visit The Lydiard Archives.
Museum and Art Swindon is Free to enter.
It is open Tuesday to Saturday 10.30am – 4.30pm.
Museum & Art Swindon
The Civic Offices
Euclid Street
Swindon SN1 2JH