The Elliot Woolford diaries - 1900
The turning of the year and the beginning of a new century appear to have made little impact on the establishment at Hook...
Satire and the St.John Family
The Lydiard Archives contain a number of satirical cartoons referring to members of the St John family. Satire uses humour,...
Lydiard’s Austrian Rose
Lady Johanna St John, wife of Sir Walter and one of the 17th century chatelaines of Lydiard Park, was famous for her...
Elliot Woolford’s Wedding.
In 1911 Elliot Woolford of Hook Farm attended the wedding of his future sister-in-law. He writes in his diary dated January...
The Case of the Coronation Hand-me-downs.
The portrait collection at Lydiard House contains two pairs of portraits that have intriguing similarities. The first pair...
Victorian Taxes
On April 24th 1889, Viscount Bolingbroke of Lydiard Park was issued with this licence to keep a carriage. The carriage had...
Francis King of West Blagrove Farm
In this month’s Living History article, Frances Bevan traces the story and complicated personal life of Francis King...
Woolford Diary – January 1923
On January 1, 1923 it was work as usual for Elliot Woolford with a trip to Swindon market and a delivery of 13 gallons...
A Carol for Christmas
One of the earliest of all sung carols is known as the Anglo-Norman carol and was recorded in a manuscript from the 13th...
Murder at the Globe Tavern
On the History of Parliament website you can read a blog piece on the unedifying history of MPs involved in brawls and...