Boxer George Strange
George Strange was born in 1843 at Prioryfield, in one of a group of tiny stone cottages isolated at the end of a long track...
St John of Bletso Table Carpet
This month’s Living History piece is about table carpets and in particular the St John of Bletso table carpet that is now...
The First Lady of Lydiard
Throughout the long history of Lydiard Park, there has been a whole succession of fascinating women who have been born or...
Elliot Woolford
March 1930 Entries In a meticulously kept diary, Elliot Woolford provides the reader with a no-nonsense view of farming...
The Fearless Aeronauts
Lydiard House and Park feature in the local and national newspapers many times over the decades and today we bring you an...
Love at Lydiard
Local historian Frances Bevan in her Good Gentlewoman blog once sagely observed that the St John men did not make good...
Thomas Becket Wall Painting
2020 marks an important anniversary for the extraordinary figure of Thomas Becket. On 29th December it will be 850 years...
The Silent Companions
I well remember the first time I visited Lydiard House. I walked into the Dining Room – and jumped a mile when I saw the...
Lydiard House Ghost Stories
Frances Bevan writes: What better subject for a Halloween post than tales of ghostly happenings in Lydiard House. Like...
The Wiltshire Loaf Cheese
A famous product of the local area is Wiltshire Loaf Cheese, which is a semi-hard cheese, smooth and creamy on the outside...
Prince George, Princess Charlotte & the Battersea Connection
Prince George and Princess Charlotte are expected to return to school at Thomas’s Battersea this September, a school...
Taking the Plunge
In the news recently was the story that David and Victoria Beckham want to create a new lake on their estate in the...
Vernon St John, the “Lord of the Butterflies.”
Vernon Henry St John, 6th Viscount Bolingbroke is remembered more for his passion and knowledge of natural history than for...
The Forest of Braydon and Lydiard Park’s veteran trees
Map of Lydiard circa 1700 The great Forest of Braydon originally extended across North Wiltshire, covering much of the...
A Victorian Country Wedding
Wedding arrangements in the Victorian parish of Lydiard Tregoze were dictated by the busy agricultural calendar. At Wick...
Fred's Horses
"There was a meeting of two days at Newmarket this time of year, to see the sweetest little horse run that ever was; his...
Lady Johanna St John - A 17th Century Mother
This month we’re celebrating Mother’s Day on 14th March with an article by Frances Bevan about Lady Johanna St....
Running Through History
Whether you are a dedicated park runner, or enjoy a regular dog walk or family cycle, you’ll be familiar with the open...
“Here is a good old mansion house…”
By the mid 19th century the Palladian mansion house at Lydiard Tregoze was a little the worse for wear. Generations of St...
The Ice House
“There ice, like crystal, firm and never lost, Tempers hot July with December’s frost;” From “On St James’...
A 17th Century Lydiard Christmas
The letters of Johanna St.John to her steward at Lydiard, Thomas Hardyman, give us a fascinating insight into the menu for a...