May 2008
Pupils work on interpretation project at Lydiard House
A group of Year 8 pupils from Greendown School in Swindon have been working with staff at Lydiard Park to update and improve the sound boxes in the State Rooms of Lydiard House. The final stage took place in May when students worked with Rhys Beetham from Audio Boxes and Kate Nash, Lydiard Park Education Office,r to record a new child-friendly audio commentary.
These sound boxes provide visitors to Swindon’s foremost historic house with additional interpretation and information about the life of the family and servants who lived at Lydiard Park. Visitors can press buttons on the sound boxes to hear different stories about the people who lived here in the past or to highlight particularly interesting features in each of the State Rooms. There is also a button giving child-friendly interpretation.
Kate Nash, Education Officer at Lydiard House and Park said, “Given the recent restoration work in the park, we wanted to bring the audio commentaries up-to-date by reflecting on the importance of the Walled Garden, the lake and the Ice House to the family who lived there. We approached Greendown School to work with us to write and record a new script for the children’s buttons. It’s been a very exciting process and the students have been very enthusiastic – the final stage of the project will take place on Monday 19 May when we will be recording the new children’s stories for the audio boxes.”
Councillor Nick Martin said, “This audio interpretation really helps to bring the past to life and is very popular with visitors of all ages. The launch of these new updated, audio guides is part of the summer programme of events at Lydiard House and Walled Garden, which includes interactive trails in every school holiday, a family Archaeology Day, theatre in the park show and a costume exhibition displaying stunning wedding dresses, specially created for TV and film productions.”