The Lydiard Archives

New

New items added each week!

Photograph of popular head Mrs Coleman & pupils of Hook School, 1958/9. Interviewed by Lord Bolingbroke for the job, she was at the school for 20 years. Search Hook School.

New items added each week!

Public meeting to save Lydiard Park (2), January 2016

Public meeting to save Lydiard Park (2), January 2016
Hidden Content, Images, Videos and Documents

We hope you are enjoying browsing The Lydiard Archives. Sign up for free access to the entire contents of the Archives and receive regular updates on new collections and featured artefacts. We are uploading content daily, and we look forward to welcoming you to our free community.

Login Sign up

In January 2016 an unprecedented number of local people met to protest at Swindon Borough Council's decision to outsource Lydiard House and Park to the private commercial sector. It was a move the council explained was due to financial pressures.

The public response was overwhelming. 750 people packed Greendown Community School in a meeting organised by The Friends of Lydiard Park in January 2016. The meeting was led by Friends' Chair, Mike Bowden, and was filmed and aired by BBC Points West.

The meeting and a petition of 10,000 people convinced the council to allow community organisations to compete for the running of Lydiard Park. In 2017 The Lydiard Park Heritage Trust (formed with active support and direct involvement of The Friends of Lydiard Park) was chosen as the council's preferred bidder.

After lengthy negotiations, Swindon Council unilaterally decided they would retain the management of Lydiard Park. Since then they have reinvested in the house, park and hotel and are working collaboratively with The Friends of Lydiard Park to ensure it remains Swindon's 'Jewel in the Crown'.

Year:
2016
Type:
Photograph
Copyright:
Friends of Lydiard Park
Last updated on:
Wednesday 11th October 2023

Items of Interest

Photograph of Lydiard Park Heritage Trust trustees, 2017
Photograph of Lydiard Park Heritage Trust trustees, 2017

The photograph shows trustees of the former Lydiar...

Lydiard Park - The Last 75 Years by Kevin Fisher, 2018
Lydiard Park - The Last 75 Years by Kevin Fisher, 2018

This booklet, written by Kevin Fisher in 2018, tr...

'Lydiard Park, Lydiard Tregoze' by Gareth Slater
'Lydiard Park, Lydiard Tregoze' by Gareth Slater

The fully illustrated article by Gareth Slater tra...

Photographs ( 7 ) of repairs to Lydiard House in 2020
Photographs ( 7 ) of repairs to Lydiard House in 2020

Repairs to Lydiard House were carried out by Beard...