Lydiard Park

Lydiard Park is a 260 acre country park in south-west Swindon, Wiltshire, UK near Junction 16 of the M4 .

The park contains Lydiard House, which is the former residence of the Viscounts Bolingbroke. Originally, in the seventeenth century, the house was built in the Elizabethan style, but was later updated by Sir John St. John, whilst he owned it in the Civil War. For more than five hundred years, it was owned by the St. Johns, but was empty by 1943. At this time, Swindon corporation bought the property, and opened it to the public in 1955, and remains open all year round. In order to do this, the house underwent a major restoration project, and was brought back to its original Palladian splendour.The house and grounds, though picuresque, are slightly smaller than most English stately homes. Recently, the estate has invested in a new playpark for children, replacing the old, nature- trail styled original.

In 2005, the park received £3m from the Heritage Lottery Fund towards a restoration project.

External links

* [http://www.lydiardpark.org.uk/ Lydiard Park] — Swindon Council's guide to Lydiard House & Park and the Lydiard Park restoration project.