Tales of Lydiard Archive

As the nights draw in and people gather close to their hearths, what better subject for a Lydiard tale than reports of...

Dogs are a familiar sight in portraits and there are a couple featured in the collection at Lydiard Park. In one of Lady...

In 1940 following the death of his mother, Vernon St.John 6th Viscount Bolingbroke had little option but to leave the...

In the peaceful countryside, facing each other across the River Thames, once lay two estates. On the north bank in...

Trawling the Baptism Register for Lydiard Tregoze, local historian Frances Bevan recently discovered a surprising piece of...

"There was a meeting of two days at Newmarket this time of year, to see the sweetest little horse run that ever was; his...

Whether you are a dedicated park runner, or enjoy a regular dog walk or family cycle, you’ll be familiar with the open...

By the mid 19th century the Palladian mansion house at Lydiard Tregoze was a little the worse for wear. Generations of St...

Map of Lydiard circa 1700 The great Forest of Braydon originally extended across North Wiltshire, covering much of the...

When many people think of the name Henry Bolingbroke, the first character that comes to mind is John of Gaunt’s son Henry,...

Looking at Lydiard Park's beautiful grounds and playing fields in 2023 it is hard to imagine they were once occupied by a...

The turning of the year and the beginning of a new century appear to have made little impact on the establishment at Hook...

The Lydiard Archives contain a number of satirical cartoons referring to members of the St John family. Satire uses humour,...

Lady Johanna St John, wife of Sir Walter and one of the 17th century chatelaines of Lydiard Park, was famous for her...

In 1911 Elliot Woolford of Hook Farm attended the wedding of his future sister-in-law. He writes in his diary dated January...

The portrait collection at Lydiard House contains two pairs of portraits that have intriguing similarities. The first pair...

On April 24th 1889, Viscount Bolingbroke of Lydiard Park was issued with this licence to keep a carriage. The carriage had...

In this month’s Living History article, Frances Bevan traces the story and complicated personal life of Francis King...

On January 1, 1923 it was work as usual for Elliot Woolford with a trip to Swindon market and a delivery of 13 gallons...

One of the earliest of all sung carols is known as the Anglo-Norman carol and was recorded in a manuscript from the 13th...

On the History of Parliament website you can read a blog piece on the unedifying history of MPs involved in brawls and...

Aerial photographs of Lydiard’s lawns during the summer 2022 drought have caused quite a stir as they reveal for the first...

The next time you visit Lydiard House, look out for the Green Man in the dining room! The dining room is an elegant...

When Lydiard House was decorated in 1982 a piece of hand-painted wallpaper was discovered beneath the dado rail in the...

On the Lydiard Archives this month we’re celebrating the Platinum Jubilee by showcasing the visit of HM the Queen to...

The Lydiard Archives is currently featuring a special collection about the castles, mansions, gardens and country estates...

Vernon Henry St John, 6th Viscount Bolingbroke is remembered more for his passion and knowledge of natural history than for...

March 24th marks the birthday of Lady Diana Spencer who married Frederick St’John, 2nd Viscount Bolingbroke, in 1757. The...

Local historian Frances Bevan in her Good Gentlewoman blog once sagely observed that the St John men did not make good...

Lydiard House contains many exquisite and fascinating items, but none more so than the painted window in the dressing room....

North Wiltshire Herald 24th December 1924 LYDIARD TREGOZE. WHIST DRIVE.—A very successful whist drive, promoted by Mrs....

With a new series of the BBC genealogy programme Who Do You Think You Are currently on TV we were reminded of a previous...

George Strange was born in 1843 at Prioryfield, in one of a group of tiny stone cottages isolated at the end of a long track...

This month’s Living History piece is about table carpets and in particular the St John of Bletso table carpet that is now...

Throughout the long history of Lydiard Park, there has been a whole succession of fascinating women who have been born or...

March 1930 Entries In a meticulously kept diary, Elliot Woolford provides the reader with a no-nonsense view of farming...

Lydiard House and Park feature in the local and national newspapers many times over the decades and today we bring you an...

Local historian Frances Bevan in her Good Gentlewoman blog once sagely observed that the St John men did not make good...

2020 marks an important anniversary for the extraordinary figure of Thomas Becket. On 29th December it will be 850 years...

I well remember the first time I visited Lydiard House. I walked into the Dining Room – and jumped a mile when I saw the...

A famous product of the local area is Wiltshire Loaf Cheese, which is a semi-hard cheese, smooth and creamy on the outside...

Prince George and Princess Charlotte are expected to return to school at Thomas’s Battersea this September, a school...

In the news recently was the story that David and Victoria Beckham want to create a new lake on their estate in the...

Wedding arrangements in the Victorian parish of Lydiard Tregoze were dictated by the busy agricultural calendar. At Wick...

This month we’re celebrating Mother’s Day on 14th March with an article by Frances Bevan about Lady Johanna St....

“There ice, like crystal, firm and never lost, Tempers hot July with December’s frost;” From “On St James’...

The letters of Johanna St.John to her steward at Lydiard, Thomas Hardyman, give us a fascinating insight into the menu for a...