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Swindon Borough Council and their partners in the business and public sector are celebrating the news that The Heritage Lottery Fund has awarded £3 million towards the restoration of Lydiard Park. This funding enables work to begin in September to restore Lydiard Park to its former glory, with the reinstatement and restoration of principal garden features like the lost lake, together with the upgrading of visitor amenities, and new opportunities for access, education and recreation. This work will transform Lydiard Park over the next few years. One of the most dramatic changes will be the restoration of Lydiard’s lost lake and major improvements to the current upper lake. Together these lakes will, once again, create a beautiful setting to the house and park and establish a haven for wildlife. The restoration plan also includes works to upgrade the paths and drives around the park, putting in a new bridge where the upper and ’lost ’lake meet, the planting of thousands of new trees and restoring the massive dam wall. An exciting new playground is planned and a stunning ornamental fruit and flower garden will be reinstated in the walled garden. There will also be extensive restoration and conservation work to the 18th Century stable building to open up a new specially designed school room, facilities for community volunteer and horticultural apprentices as well as new public toilets. Access for people with disabilities will be greatly improved by opening up the courtyard entrance as the main pubic entrance to Lydiard House.

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 You can download the Autumn 2005 Newsletter
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At the 27th National Arts & Business Awards, the Lydiard Park Project and RWE npower were shortlisted by judges as one of the UK’s best arts and business partnerships. The nomination was in recognition of the highly successful volunteer programme enabling employees at RWE nopower to make an active contribution to the project.

English Heritage and their predecessors the Ministry of Works have been involved with Lydiard Park since the 1940’s. They helped the Swindon Corporation to restore the dilapidated house, which the town had purchased during World War 2. Now they are committing £100,000 to The Lydiard Park Project, to support new opportunities for skills training and apprenticeships, which are to become a hallmark of the restoration programme when work begins later this year. Dr Edward Impey, Director of Research and Standards at English Heritage announced the £100,000 grant at a reception to celebrate the legacy of Roger Morris, the noted Georgian architect responsible for the remodelling of Lydiard House.

The BMW Group, one of Swindon’s major employers, are targeting their support into the restoration of Lydiard’s 18th Century coach house and stable building for the benefit of local schools and community groups. The stable, which once housed Lord Bolingbroke’s famous racehorses and the family’s carriages, has fallen into disrepair. Thanks to BMW, the Grade 2 listed building will be fully restored to include an all purpose designed classroom, and facilities for community volunteers and horticultural apprentices working in the gardens. The building will also house public lavatories - one of the public’s top demands for amenity improvements in the park!

In January, members of the Lydiard Park Project team delivered Swindon Borough Council’s £3 million bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund. This bid contains the results of detailed research, design and development work, which was carried out in 2004. The intention is to restore the principal garden features, including the lost lake, the massive dam wall, and the ornamental fruit and flower garden and upgrade visitor amenities. Heritage Lottery Fund is due to make their decision on the Lydiard bid at the end of June this year. The Council, together with their national agency and business partners, Friends and supporters, are hopeful that restoration works will begin on schedule in September. In the meantime a wide variety of community events and activities are set to make this a celebratory year.