Something for Everyone
Lydiard Park is a beautiful historic parkland on the western edge of Swindon. The Palladian house, walled garden, parkland and children's play area offer something for everyone, all year round. With a programme of special events and the changing nature of the seasons, there's always something new to enjoy on a visit here.
Once the ancestral home of the Viscounts Bolingbroke, there's a wealth of history waiting to be discovered as you tour round the beautifully-restored State Rooms of Lydiard House, with its original furnishings, ornate plasterwork and family portraits. Next door, St Mary's Church is packed with intriguing monuments to the St John family, including the unique triptych and Golden Cavalier statue.
The ornamental fruit and flower Walled Garden has been faithfully restored with stunning displays of flowers, fruit trees and topiary – even in winter you can appreciate it’s elegant structure. Outside in the woodlands surrounding the House, Church and Walled Garden, our stunning snowdrops are starting to emerge. This beautiful, natural white "carpet" is a popular sight for visitors enjoying a brisk winter walk.
If you're looking for some more energetic activity, Lydiard Park hosts a weekly 5km Parkrun every Saturday – for more details and how to join, see Parkrun Swindon website or you can help out some important charities by supporting some of the fundraising events that ake place here - the Mad March Hare event is coming up on Sunday 25 March and this year's Race for Life is in June.
The park provides different wildlife habitats, including the historic woodlands and the lakes and stream, and is home to a variety of birds, mammals, amphibians and invertebrates. To find out more about the site's wildlife, we have special events all through the year – with a guided walk to look at signs of spring in March. If you are looking for family events this half term holiday, we have a great new quiz trail available in the house and drop-in craft sessions on Tuesday 14 and Thursday 16 February - all details are on our Events page
Green Flag
In July 2011, Lydiard Park was named as one of the nation’s best green spaces and was awarded a Green Flag, along with Green Heritage status, in recognition of achieving the required standard in the management and interpretation of a site with historic importance.
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