English Heritage Advice Report 13 August 2013 Case Name: Lydiard Park,

Case Number: 476988

Background English Heritage has received an application for the upgrading of Lydiard Park, Swindon, currently included on the Register of Parks and Gardens at Grade II.

Asset(s) under Assessment Facts about the asset(s) can be found in the Annex(es) to this report.

Annex List Entry Number Name Heritage Category EH Recommendation 1 1001238 LYDIARD PARK Park and Garden Amend Register

Visits Date Visit Type 15 January 2013 Full inspection

Context A few years ago extensive restoration of Lydiard Park and its structures, begun in 2005 and funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, was completed. The applicant has expressed concern over development proposals for a new housing estate that is proposed for an area of land adjacent to the registered site, which may affect the registered site and its setting. English Heritage was consulted on an application for the housing estate in 2010. The application was refused and the refusal upheld at appeal. A second application for approximately half the original area and now physically removed from the boundary of the registered site was submitted in late 2012. The second planning application too has been refused, but unlike its predecessor attracted an officers’ recommendation to approve (the Council’s Conservation Officer raised no objection). Although English Heritage is not required to give advice on planning applications affecting Grade II registered sites, in this case English Heritage's level of involvement in response to the planning application took account of its long-standing interest in Lydiard Park, as well as an overarching wish to provide support for the prevention of ad hoc development around Swindon where heritage assets are affected in advance of site allocations being agreed through the Local Plan process. In late 2012 English Heritage's Designation Department received an application for the inclusion of the land proposed for housing development to be included in the national Battlefield Register, as it was believed to be the site of the Battle of Ellandun. Following initial assessment the site did not meet the criteria and as such the land was not recommended for inclusion. Lydiard Park is classed as a Country Park.

Assessment CONSULTATION A consultation report was sent to Swindon Council, three further owners, the local Conservation Officer, the applicant, the Garden History Society, Council, and three further internal interested parties.

No responses were received, except from the local authority (as main owners), the owner of land included in the north part of the Registered site, and two interested parties.

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The local authority (as owners) kindly pointed out some errors in the dates of the various restoration works referred to in our report. These have now been corrected. They also asked whether we could consider referring to the main views from the park to the former estate, and in particular Folly view. We have now referred to these views were appropriate.

In response to the consultation, one of the owners claims that the land in the north-east part of the registered site should be excluded from the designated area, or the Register entry should at least refer to its limited significance. The owner believes the land was never incorporated in a meaningful way into the landscaped grounds and does not contribute to special historic interest. In 2001 new evidence became available which showed that in the 1830s the land had been purchased by Lord Bollingbroke for the purpose of creating a drive by removing the parsonage and thus further expanding the park. By 1839, as indicated by the Tithe map of that date, this land was in use as pasture. Using parkland for grazing was very common at the time, as it was also believed to add to its ornamental quality. As indicated by the Tithe map and apportionment of 1841, Lord Bollingbroke let the land to Thomas Plummer which was most likely for grazing. As a rule, the Register entry and boundary map includes the extent of the historic parkland at the end of the C19 when most parks had reached their maximum extent, but before the more obvious parkland characteristics have been eroded or obscured as has been a common trend at many sites since the mid C20. In this case the part of parkland in question, and its boundaries, has survived well and as such fully merits inclusion within the designated area. As requested, more detailed reference to the evidence has now been included in the Register entry in order to further clarify the significance of this land.

Two of the interested parties claim that the site would probably not merit upgrading notwithstanding the clear success of its extensive restoration programme. One of the parties commented that we should carefully re-consider the inclusion of Lydiard Residential Park within the registered area, as certain development may undermine the registered status of Lydiard House. Whether Lydiard Residential Park still merits inclusion within the registered site will be discussed below.

DISCUSSION The special historic interest of Lydiard Park was first confirmed in 1987 when the site was included on the Register of Parks and Gardens at Grade II. Sites registered at Grade II are of special interest, warranting every effort to preserve them. In 2001, as part of the Register Upgrade Programme the grading of the site was judged to be appropriate but the Register entry and boundary map were amended to reflect new information that had become available since it was first registered.

As stated in English Heritage's Register of Parks and Gardens Selection Guide for Rural Landscapes, in order for a site to merit designation at Grade II* it would need to be of more than special interest in a national context. Usually this additional interest is most clearly reflected in the quality of its design, but also in the level of its influence and reputation, through the involvement of (a) nationally important designer(s), or through strong associations with other significant persons or events. For example, the Grade II* registered Gunton Park in North Norfolk, is a large country mansion with mid C19 gardens designed by William Teulon, has a wooded pleasure ground of late C17/early C18 origins for which Charles Bridgeman prepared designs, and is set within an extensive C18 landscape park embellished in the early C19 partly following advice from Humphry Repton which was further extended in the mid C19 by William Sawrey. Another example is Gunnersbury Park, which like Lydiard, once formed part of a country estate but is now in public ownership. Despite its poor condition, it is Gunnersbury Park's association with William Kent and Princess Amalia, and its many important listed (garden) buildings, including The Temple (listed at Grade II*), that give this park a greater level of special interest thus meriting its Grade II* registration status. It is true that the high quality restoration works at Lydiard have been very successful, and that they have significantly improved the understanding and readability of the historic development of this important site. However, the level of special historic interest of the park has not increased and as such it is appropriately registered at Grade II.

As part of the current assessment English Heritage has carefully looked at the boundaries of the designated area in order to confirm whether they are accurate. The current registered area includes Lydiard Residential Park situated just north of Hook Street, which covers a part of Park Copse. This woodland forms the west part of the site and includes a number of Tree Preservation Orders, some incorporated within the Residential Park. The current Register entry refers to this as a mobile home park. However, over the years this has developed into a permanent residential park of circa 40 homes, with tarmac roads and private gardens to each of the dwellings. Unlike holiday parks, the owners now have the same development rights as other home owners. For the purpose of registration, unsympathetic developments within a park or garden might either be excluded from a registered area, or left within it. The decision rests on whether the development constitutes merely a minor intrusion into the site - temporary huts, tennis courts, car parks, swimming pools, are common examples - in which case it is left within the site boundary, or whether the interference is more major. Where the intrusions have replaced the former design - strips of housing round the edge of a park, or

Page 2 of 15 English Heritage Advice Report 13 August 2013 areas of extensive development within the park, for example - and the change is basically irreversible, then the area is excluded. It is clear that in this case, similar to most housing estates, the change is permanent and sadly, can no longer be described as a minor intrusion. As such, it is recommended that Lydiard Residential Park is excluded from the designated area. However, it remains part of the immediate setting of the registered park and as such it is referred to in the Register entry under the heading LOCATION, AREA, BOUNDARIES, LANDFORM, SETTING.

CONCLUSION After examining all the records and other relevant information and having carefully considered the claims to significance of this case, Lydiard Park is not recommended for upgrading. However, the Register entry and map are recommended for an amendment to reflect the new information that has become available and the restoration of the site.

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION DECISION Lydiard Park, Swindon, an C18 park and garden laid out by the second Viscount St John, incorporating features and archaeological remains of a late C17 formal park and garden registered at Grade II, is not recommended for upgrading for the following principal reasons:

* Level of historic interest: the site is not associated with a designer of national importance and although the overall level of interest of its design, its reputation, and other historic associations clearly are of special interest, in a national context they are not of more than special interest;

* New information and change: due to the significant new information that has become available and the positive changes the site has undergone following its restoration, its description should be updated to reflect this. Additionally, Lydiard Residential Park should be removed from the designated area, as this part of the designed landscape is now fully built over, and no longer contributes to the special interest of the site.

Countersigning comments:

Agreed. Recent restoration work at Lydiard Park, undertaken in part with HLF funding, has done much to enhance the landscape and improve its legibility and this is to be commended. Although greatly improved, the park remains appropriately graded at Grade II, however the opportunity should be taken to upgrade the register entry and to refine the registration boundaries where appropriate. Deborah Williams 9th August 2013

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Annex 1

List Entry

List Entry Summary This garden or other land is registered under the Historic Buildings and Ancient Monuments Act 1953 within the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens by English Heritage for its special historic interest.

Name: LYDIARD PARK

List Entry Number: 1001238

Location Lydiard Park, , Swindon, SN5 3PA

The garden or other land may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

County District District Type Parish Swindon Unitary Authority Non Wiltshire Unitary Authority Wiltshire Unitary Authority Lydiard Tregoze

National Park: Not applicable to this List entry.

Grade: II

Date first registered: 01 September 1987 Date of most recent amendment: 13 August 2013

Legacy System Information The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System: Parks and Gardens Legacy Number: 2246

Asset Groupings This List entry does not comprise part of an Asset Grouping. Asset Groupings are not part of the official record but are added later for information.

List Entry Description

Summary of Site Mid C18 park and garden laid out by the second Viscount St John, incorporating features and archaeological remains of a C17 formal park and garden.

Reasons for Designation Lydiard Park in Swindon is included on the Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

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* Date and rarity: it is a good example of a mid C18 park where the layout clearly reflects its original design, and which contains archaeological evidence of its earlier, C17 formal layout;

* Representative example: it is a representative example of a mid C18 park associated with an important country house;

* Group value: the park forms a strong group with its associated heritage assets, including Lydiard House (listed at Grade I), the Church of St Mary (listed at Grade I) and the listed garden structures situated within it.

History

Lydiard Park, formerly known as Lydiard Tregoze, is mentioned in the Domesday Book (1086) and was owned by the Tregoze family from c 1189. In 1259 Henry III gave Robert Tregoze a royal licence to impark a nearby woodland in order to create a deer park. From 1300 until 1348 Lydiard was owned by the Grandison family, and subsequently by the Beauchamps. In 1420 the estate came to the St John family through marriage (whose main seat was at , London), and they were to hold it until the Second World War. In 1583 it was recorded there was a park at Lydiard Tregoze owned by Nicholas St John.

During the early C17, probably during the time of Sir John St John, formal gardens including a canal were created as part of changes made to the medieval house at Lydiard (Swindon BC 2002). Sir John also laid out a series of formal avenues in the park. By c 1700 (Map of Lydiard Park), Lydiard had a park with formal avenues and woodland plantations, and a series of formal gardens including ponds and terraces. In 1742-3, under the ownership of the second Viscount St John, the south and east fronts of the House were remodelled in the Palladian style. By 1766 the formal elements in the park had been removed, together with the formal gardens (Willington, 1766).

During the late C18 and early C19 the estate was neglected and largely let to tenants. In c 1830, under Henry, fifth Viscount St John, additions and reconstructions were made to the west side of the House and most of the estate was leased for hunting. The fifth Viscount also acquired some glebe land to the north of the House, which was imparked by 1885 (OS).

In 1920, and again in 1930, large parts of Lydiard Park were sold off, and the remainder of the heavily mortgaged estate fell into decline. From 1942 the park was used as a military hospital by the American Forces, and subsequently, at the end of the Second World War, as a prisoner of war camp. In 1943 the House and park were bought by the Corporation of Swindon, with a view to establishing a university. After the war the camp was used for temporary residential use until c 1960 when it was abandoned and gradually removed. The Corporation of Swindon embarked on a programme of repair and restoration of the House and grounds, which were opened to the public in 1955 by Lord Lansdown.

In 1974 the Lydiard Park Management Centre was opened, and during the 1980s Lydiard Park was used as a public open space, including sports pitches, play areas, and other facilities. A lime avenue was planted to replace the elms along the eastern drive. In 1984 the Borough of Thamesdown (previously the Swindon Corporation) purchased further land which once formed part of the C18 park of Lydiard. In 1985-6 the park was designated a Country Park and a new visitor centre was built. Since then the park, gardens, and part of the House have been open to visitors. The House is now a museum and the late C20 added wing to the north-west of the house is in use as a conference centre.

In 2005 an extensive landscape restoration project began with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, which was completed in 2009. The majority of the site, including the former mansion, remains in public ownership with some parts privately owned.

Details

LOCATION, AREA, BOUNDARIES, LANDFORM, SETTING

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Lydiard Park, a level site of c 149ha situated in the parish of Lydiard Tregoze, lies immediately west of Swindon, between the M4 to the south and the village of Lydiard Millicent to the north. The north-east part of the site is bounded by a small stream with late-C20 housing further beyond. To the north-west the site is enclosed by farmland belonging to Parkside Farm which abuts the northern boundary. The southern boundary is formed by Hook Street (formerly called Park Lane), with Lydiard Residential Park (excluded from the area registered here) covering part of Park Copse. To the south is farmland belonging to Lower Hook Farm, situated to the south-west, and Park Farm which abuts the far south-east corner of the site. The south-east boundary is formed by a ditch and stone wall, which are possibly medieval in origin (English Heritage 2000). The wall is lined to its east by a public footpath (outside the area here registered), and beyond it a school and its grounds (late C20). From various points within the park there are extensive views of the surrounding land that once formed part of the Lydiard Estate, including one in a southerly direction towards the site of a former C18 folly (not included in the land registered here). As marked on the OS map of 1828, this stood on a ridge in fields south of the lakes at Lydiard.

ENTRANCES AND APPROACHES The main approach lies to the south, formed by a tree-lined drive which enters off Hook Street c 570m south-west of the House and runs in a north-easterly direction to the north-west side of the House. This drive, replanted in the late C20 in a modified form, originates from c 1700 (Map of Lydiard Park). A further approach enters 400m east of the House, where a lime avenue leads off Hay Lane in a westerly direction to a small car park to the north-west of the House and the church of St Mary. This avenue, laid out in 1911, was formerly planted with elm trees, which were replaced by lime trees in 1980. The site can also be entered by various public footpaths which cross the north-east part of the park (OS 1885).

PRINCIPAL BUILDING Lydiard House (listed at Grade I) is situated in the eastern half of the site. Together with the Church of St Mary (listed at Grade I; and several Grade II listed tombstones in churchyard) which is situated immediately to its north, it forms an important group of buildings dating back to the medieval period. The fabric of the House dates mainly from the C17, but the south-west and south-east fronts are in the Palladian style, following their remodelling of 1742-3 by the second Viscount St John. This remodelling has been attributed to the architect Roger Morris (CL 1948). Attached to the rear north-west end of the house is a late-C20 conference wing. The former L-shaped stable block, now converted to a cafe and offices, stands circa 30m to the north-west of the house.

GARDENS AND PLEASURE GROUNDS The pleasure grounds consist of a small woodland to the south-west of the House, since the late C19 called The Avenue, separated from the park by an C18 ha-ha built of brick (restored late C20), and a terrace and lawn to the south front of the House.

The woodland, which contains a network of paths and some mature trees, is crossed by the south drive and west avenue (see below). In the woodland, c 140m south-west of the House, stands an C18 icehouse (listed at Grade II, and recently restored) with, approximately 60m further to its south-west, a visitor centre introduced in the 1980s. Attached to the woodland to the south-east lies Quarr Plantation, now (2013) containing an adventure playground. The Avenue woodland dates from the C18, when it covered a smaller, oval-shaped area and was fenced (Willington, 1766). By 1885 (OS) it had been further extended and Quarr Plantation had been laid out to its south-east.

Immediately to the south-east of the House is a gravelled terrace.

To the south of the terrace is a 3ha lawn, which slopes gently down in an easterly direction towards the lakes. These were created in the late C17 and altered in the mid C18 (Map of Lydiard Park, c 1700; Willington, 1766). On the lawn stand several mature single trees, and various earthworks are visible which form the remains of the late C17 formal terraced gardens (English Heritage 2000; Map of Lydiard Park, c 1700). Adjacent to the north-west shore of the upper lake, archaeological excavations have revealed a structure believed to be a cold bath or plunge pool dating from c 1820 (Wessex Archaeology, 2004). Previously this was thought to be the site of a boathouse. There is reference to a boathouse situated on the opposite end of the lake in 1766, now no longer there. At the north end of the upper lake is a substantial mid-C18 castellated dam wall (listed at Grade II), adapted from a circa C17 causeway (Debois 2001), which was fully restored in 2006.

PARK The park stretches out to the north, south, and west of the House and pleasure grounds, its main feature being a series of serpentine-shaped lakes situated along the far south-east boundary of the site. On the eastern bank of the lakes is a plantation called The Pheasantry, which forms a shelter belt along the park wall

Page 6 of 15 English Heritage Advice Report 13 August 2013 on the south-east boundary of the site. The lakes were originally laid out as a formal canal, thus forming an important feature of the late C17 terraced gardens described above (Map of Lydiard Park, c 1700). By 1766 (Willington) the formal gardens were laid to lawn and the lakes had been given a less formal outline.

From the lawn immediately to the south-west of the House, a straight avenue, planted for half of its length (late C20), runs towards Park Copse in the far western corner of the site, creating a long vista. This avenue originates from the late C17 (Map of Lydiard Park, c 1700). Along the north-west boundary of the site, attached to Park Copse, lies Alder Plantation, through which runs a small stream. From the pleasure grounds to the west of the House, a late C18 avenue (replanted in the late C20) runs in a north-westerly direction towards Parkside Farm, passing Ash Plantation situated to its south-west.

The north-east part of the park is laid out on former glebe land (Willington, 1776). This land was purchased by Lord Bollingbroke in circa 1830 to create a new drive and thus to further expand the park. By 1839, as indicated by the Tithe Map of that date, the land was used as pasture for grazing, and by the late C19 it had a number of public footpaths (OS map 1885). The southern boundary of the park is lined by a thin belt of trees with, halfway along its length, Elm Plantation, formerly called Oak Plantation (Map of Lydiard Park, c 1700). The southern part of the park immediately west of the south drive is the site of the former military hospital set up during the Second World War and removed in the 1960s.

KITCHEN GARDEN The walled kitchen garden (listed at Grade II) is situated c 100m north-west of the House. It has a rhomboid ground plan and its walls are constructed of red brick set in garden wall bond. The main entrance, a cast-iron gate (late C20) hung between two square brick gate piers with stone ball finials, is situated on its south side. The entrance is aligned on a short avenue planted with mixed coniferous trees introduced in the late C20, which leads south through the pleasure ground (The Avenue) to the western avenue. The garden dates back to the early C18 when it was in use as an ornamental garden with a formal layout (Wiltshire CC 2001; Willington, 1766); by the late C19 it was used as a kitchen garden (OS 1885). An early C18 bronze sundial with the arms of the second Viscount of St John (listed at Grade II) stands in the centre of the walled garden. It was moved to its current position in 2006. It formerly stood on the terrace south of the House, where it was vandalised in 2001 and subsequently put into storage. The Ordnance Survey map published in 1885 indicates that the sundial stood in the centre of the walled garden, and following its recent restoration (early C21), it was put back in this position, forming the central feature in the newly planted garden (2013).

Selected Sources

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Country Life, Vol. 103, 19 March 1948

Country Life, 26 March 1948

Wiltshire Gardens Trust Journal, Vol. 28, Autumn 1993

John Lord- English Heritage, Lydiard Park, Swindon Survey Report, Archaeological Investigation Report, 2003

Victoria History of the County of Wiltshire IV, 1959, 80

Pevsner, N (revised by Bridget Cherry), The Buildings of : Wiltshire, 1975, 318

A Map of Lydiard Park, c1700

A Survey of Lydiard Park, 1766

Andrews and Durys Map of Wiltshire, 1773

Plan of the 302nd Station Hospital at Lydiard Park, c1940

Tithe Map for Lydiard Tregoze, 1839

Archaeological survey of the walled garden, Wiltshire county Council, 2001

Brief archaeologiocal survey of Lydiard Park by English Heritage, 2000

Lydiard Park Restoration and Development Plan, Swindon Borough Council

Lydiard Park Restoration Masterplan by Thamesdown Landscape Services for Swindon Council, 1992

The dam wall at Lydiard. A Historical Appraisal by Debois Landscape Survey Group, 2001

Wessex Archaeology, A Park With a Story to Tell, http://www.wessexarch.co.uk/system/files/Lydiard%20Park.pdf, 28/05/2013

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Map

National Grid Reference: SU 09686 84926

© Crown Copyright and database right 2011. All rights reserved. Ordnance Survey Licence number 100019088.

The above map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. For a copy of the full scale map, please see the attached PDF - 1001238_2.pdf

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Former List Entry

List Entry Summary This garden or other land is registered under the Historic Buildings and Ancient Monuments Act 1953 within the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens by English Heritage for its special historic interest.

Name: LYDIARD PARK

List Entry Number: 1001238

Location Lydiard Park, Lydiard Tregoze, Swindon, SN5 3PA

The garden or other land may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

County District District Type Parish Swindon Unitary Authority Non Civil Parish Wiltshire Unitary Authority Lydiard Millicent Wiltshire Unitary Authority Lydiard Tregoze

National Park: Not applicable to this List entry.

Grade: II

Date first registered: 01 September 1987 Date of most recent amendment: 13 August 2013

Legacy System Information The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System: Parks and Gardens Legacy Number: 2246

Asset Groupings This List entry does not comprise part of an Asset Grouping. Asset Groupings are not part of the official record but are added later for information.

List Entry Description

Summary of Site Mid C18 park and garden laid out by the second Viscount St John, incorporating features and archaeological remains of a C17 formal park and garden.

Reasons for Designation Lydiard Park in Swindon is included on the Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

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* Date and rarity: it is a good example of a mid C18 park where the layout clearly reflects its original design, and which contains archaeological evidence of its earlier, C17 formal layout;

* Representative example: it is a representative example of a mid C18 park associated with an important country house;

* Group value: the park forms a strong group with its associated heritage assets, including Lydiard House (listed at Grade I), the Church of St Mary (listed at Grade I) and the listed garden structures situated within it.

History

Lydiard Park, formerly known as Lydiard Tregoze, is mentioned in the Domesday Book (1086) and was owned by the Tregoze family from c 1189. In 1259 Henry III gave Robert Tregoze a royal licence to impark a nearby woodland in order to create a deer park. From 1300 until 1348 Lydiard was owned by the Grandison family, and subsequently by the Beauchamps. In 1420 the estate came to the St John family through marriage (whose main seat was at Battersea, London), and they were to hold it until the Second World War. In 1583 it was recorded there was a park at Lydiard Tregoze owned by Nicholas St John.

During the early C17, probably during the time of Sir John St John, formal gardens including a canal were created as part of changes made to the medieval house at Lydiard (Swindon BC 2002). Sir John also laid out a series of formal avenues in the park. By c 1700 (Map of Lydiard Park), Lydiard had a park with formal avenues and woodland plantations, and a series of formal gardens including ponds and terraces. In 1742-3, under the ownership of the second Viscount St John, the south and east fronts of the House were remodelled in the Palladian style. By 1766 the formal elements in the park had been removed, together with the formal gardens (Willington, 1766).

During the late C18 and early C19 the estate was neglected and largely let to tenants. In c 1830, under Henry, fifth Viscount St John, additions and reconstructions were made to the west side of the House and most of the estate was leased for hunting. The fifth Viscount also acquired some glebe land to the north of the House, which was imparked by 1885 (OS).

In 1920, and again in 1930, large parts of Lydiard Park were sold off, and the remainder of the heavily mortgaged estate fell into decline. From 1942 the park was used as a military hospital by the American Forces, and subsequently, at the end of the Second World War, as a prisoner of war camp. In 1943 the House and park were bought by the Corporation of Swindon, with a view to establishing a university. After the war the camp was used for temporary residential use until c 1960 when it was abandoned and gradually removed. The Corporation of Swindon embarked on a programme of repair and restoration of the House and grounds, which were opened to the public in 1955 by Lord Lansdown.

In 1974 the Lydiard Park Management Centre was opened, and during the 1980s Lydiard Park was used as a public open space, including sports pitches, play areas, and other facilities. A lime avenue was planted to replace the elms along the eastern drive. In 1984 the Borough of Thamesdown (previously the Swindon Corporation) purchased further land which once formed part of the C18 park of Lydiard. In 1985-6 the park was designated a Country Park and a new visitor centre was built. Since then the park, gardens, and part of the House have been open to visitors. The House is now a museum and the late C20 added wing to the north-west of the house is in use as a conference centre.

In 2005 an extensive landscape restoration project began with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, which was completed in 2009. The majority of the site, including the former mansion, remains in public ownership with some parts privately owned.

Details

LOCATION, AREA, BOUNDARIES, LANDFORM, SETTING Lydiard Park, a level site of c 149ha situated in the parish of Lydiard Tregoze, lies immediately west of Swindon, between the M4 to the south and the village of Lydiard Millicent to the north. The north-east part of

Page 11 of 15 English Heritage Advice Report 13 August 2013 the site is bounded by a small stream with late-C20 housing further beyond. To the north-west the site is enclosed by farmland belonging to Parkside Farm which abuts the northern boundary. The southern boundary is formed by Hook Street (formerly called Park Lane), with Lydiard Residential Park (excluded from the area registered here) covering part of Park Copse. To the south is farmland belonging to Lower Hook Farm, situated to the south-west, and Park Farm which abuts the far south-east corner of the site. The south-east boundary is formed by a ditch and stone wall, which are possibly medieval in origin (English Heritage 2000). The wall is lined to its east by a public footpath (outside the area here registered), and beyond it a school and its grounds (late C20). From various points within the park there are extensive views of the surrounding land that once formed part of the Lydiard Estate, including one in a southerly direction towards the site of a former C18 folly (not included in the land registered here). As marked on the OS map of 1828, this stood on a ridge in fields south of the lakes at Lydiard.

ENTRANCES AND APPROACHES The main approach lies to the south, formed by a tree-lined drive which enters off Hook Street c 570m south-west of the House and runs in a north-easterly direction to the north-west side of the House. This drive, replanted in the late C20 in a modified form, originates from c 1700 (Map of Lydiard Park). A further approach enters 400m east of the House, where a lime avenue leads off Hay Lane in a westerly direction to a small car park to the north-west of the House and the church of St Mary. This avenue, laid out in 1911, was formerly planted with elm trees, which were replaced by lime trees in 1980. The site can also be entered by various public footpaths which cross the north-east part of the park (OS 1885).

PRINCIPAL BUILDING Lydiard House (listed at Grade I) is situated in the eastern half of the site. Together with the Church of St Mary (listed at Grade I; and several Grade II listed tombstones in churchyard) which is situated immediately to its north, it forms an important group of buildings dating back to the medieval period. The fabric of the House dates mainly from the C17, but the south-west and south-east fronts are in the Palladian style, following their remodelling of 1742-3 by the second Viscount St John. This remodelling has been attributed to the architect Roger Morris (CL 1948). Attached to the rear north-west end of the house is a late-C20 conference wing. The former L-shaped stable block, now converted to a cafe and offices, stands circa 30m to the north-west of the house.

GARDENS AND PLEASURE GROUNDS The pleasure grounds consist of a small woodland to the south-west of the House, since the late C19 called The Avenue, separated from the park by an C18 ha-ha built of brick (restored late C20), and a terrace and lawn to the south front of the House.

The woodland, which contains a network of paths and some mature trees, is crossed by the south drive and west avenue (see below). In the woodland, c 140m south-west of the House, stands an C18 icehouse (listed at Grade II, and recently restored) with, approximately 60m further to its south-west, a visitor centre introduced in the 1980s. Attached to the woodland to the south-east lies Quarr Plantation, now (2013) containing an adventure playground. The Avenue woodland dates from the C18, when it covered a smaller, oval-shaped area and was fenced (Willington, 1766). By 1885 (OS) it had been further extended and Quarr Plantation had been laid out to its south-east.

Immediately to the south-east of the House is a gravelled terrace.

To the south of the terrace is a 3ha lawn, which slopes gently down in an easterly direction towards the lakes. These were created in the late C17 and altered in the mid C18 (Map of Lydiard Park, c 1700; Willington, 1766). On the lawn stand several mature single trees, and various earthworks are visible which form the remains of the late C17 formal terraced gardens (English Heritage 2000; Map of Lydiard Park, c 1700). Adjacent to the north-west shore of the upper lake, archaeological excavations have revealed a structure believed to be a cold bath or plunge pool dating from c 1820 (Wessex Archaeology, 2004). Previously this was thought to be the site of a boathouse. There is reference to a boathouse situated on the opposite end of the lake in 1766, now no longer there. At the north end of the upper lake is a substantial mid-C18 castellated dam wall (listed at Grade II), adapted from a circa C17 causeway (Debois 2001), which was fully restored in 2006.

PARK The park stretches out to the north, south, and west of the House and pleasure grounds, its main feature being a series of serpentine-shaped lakes situated along the far south-east boundary of the site. On the eastern bank of the lakes is a plantation called The Pheasantry, which forms a shelter belt along the park wall on the south-east boundary of the site. The lakes were originally laid out as a formal canal, thus forming an

Page 12 of 15 English Heritage Advice Report 13 August 2013 important feature of the late C17 terraced gardens described above (Map of Lydiard Park, c 1700). By 1766 (Willington) the formal gardens were laid to lawn and the lakes had been given a less formal outline.

From the lawn immediately to the south-west of the House, a straight avenue, planted for half of its length (late C20), runs towards Park Copse in the far western corner of the site, creating a long vista. This avenue originates from the late C17 (Map of Lydiard Park, c 1700). Along the north-west boundary of the site, attached to Park Copse, lies Alder Plantation, through which runs a small stream. From the pleasure grounds to the west of the House, a late C18 avenue (replanted in the late C20) runs in a north-westerly direction towards Parkside Farm, passing Ash Plantation situated to its south-west.

The north-east part of the park is laid out on former glebe land (Willington, 1776). This land was purchased by Lord Bollingbroke in circa 1830 to create a new drive and thus to further expand the park. By 1839, as indicated by the Tithe Map of that date, the land was used as pasture for grazing, and by the late C19 it had a number of public footpaths (OS map 1885). The southern boundary of the park is lined by a thin belt of trees with, halfway along its length, Elm Plantation, formerly called Oak Plantation (Map of Lydiard Park, c 1700). The southern part of the park immediately west of the south drive is the site of the former military hospital set up during the Second World War and removed in the 1960s.

KITCHEN GARDEN The walled kitchen garden (listed at Grade II) is situated c 100m north-west of the House. It has a rhomboid ground plan and its walls are constructed of red brick set in garden wall bond. The main entrance, a cast-iron gate (late C20) hung between two square brick gate piers with stone ball finials, is situated on its south side. The entrance is aligned on a short avenue planted with mixed coniferous trees introduced in the late C20, which leads south through the pleasure ground (The Avenue) to the western avenue. The garden dates back to the early C18 when it was in use as an ornamental garden with a formal layout (Wiltshire CC 2001; Willington, 1766); by the late C19 it was used as a kitchen garden (OS 1885). An early C18 bronze sundial with the arms of the second Viscount of St John (listed at Grade II) stands in the centre of the walled garden. It was moved to its current position in 2006. It formerly stood on the terrace south of the House, where it was vandalised in 2001 and subsequently put into storage. The Ordnance Survey map published in 1885 indicates that the sundial stood in the centre of the walled garden, and following its recent restoration (early C21), it was put back in this position, forming the central feature in the newly planted garden (2013).

Selected Sources

Page 13 of 15 English Heritage Advice Report 13 August 2013

Country Life, Vol. 103, 19 March 1948

Country Life, 26 March 1948

Wiltshire Gardens Trust Journal, Vol. 28, Autumn 1993

John Lord- English Heritage, Lydiard Park, Swindon Survey Report, Archaeological Investigation Report, 2003

Victoria History of the County of Wiltshire IV, 1959, 80

Pevsner, N (revised by Bridget Cherry), The Buildings of England: Wiltshire, 1975, 318

A Map of Lydiard Park, c1700

A Survey of Lydiard Park, 1766

Andrews and Durys Map of Wiltshire, 1773

Plan of the 302nd Station Hospital at Lydiard Park, c1940

Tithe Map for Lydiard Tregoze, 1839

Archaeological survey of the walled garden, Wiltshire county Council, 2001

Brief archaeologiocal survey of Lydiard Park by English Heritage, 2000

Lydiard Park Restoration and Development Plan, Swindon Borough Council

Lydiard Park Restoration Masterplan by Thamesdown Landscape Services for Swindon Council, 1992

The dam wall at Lydiard. A Historical Appraisal by Debois Landscape Survey Group, 2001

Wessex Archaeology, A Park With a Story to Tell, http://www.wessexarch.co.uk/system/files/Lydiard%20Park.pdf, 28/05/2013

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Map

National Grid Reference: SU 09686 84926

© Crown Copyright and database right 2011. All rights reserved. Ordnance Survey Licence number 100019088.

The above map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. For a copy of the full scale map, please see the attached PDF - 1001238_2.pdf

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