Living History Archive

2020 marks an important anniversary for the extraordinary figure of Thomas Becket. On 29th December it will be 850 years...

I well remember the first time I visited Lydiard House. I walked into the Dining Room – and jumped a mile when I saw the...

Frances Bevan writes: What better subject for a Halloween post than tales of ghostly happenings in Lydiard House. Like...

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 and Princess Charlotte are expected to return to school at Thomas’s Battersea this September, a school...

In the news recently was the story that David and Victoria Beckham want to create a new lake on their estate in the...

Vernon Henry St John, 6th Viscount Bolingbroke is remembered more for his passion and knowledge of natural history than for...

Map of Lydiard circa 1700 The great Forest of Braydon originally extended across North Wiltshire, covering much of the...

Wedding arrangements in the Victorian parish of Lydiard Tregoze were dictated by the busy agricultural calendar. At Wick...

"There was a meeting of two days at Newmarket this time of year, to see the sweetest little horse run that ever was; his...

This month we’re celebrating Mother’s Day on 22nd March with an article by Frances Bevan about Lady Johanna St....

Whether you are a dedicated park runner, or enjoy a regular dog walk or family cycle, you’ll be familiar with the open...

By the mid 19th century the Palladian mansion house at Lydiard Tregoze was a little the worse for wear. Generations of St...

“There ice, like crystal, firm and never lost, Tempers hot July with December’s frost;” From “On St James’...

The letters of Johanna St.John to her steward at Lydiard, Thomas Hardyman, give us a fascinating insight into the menu for a...