1997 November: Queen visits Lydiard House, the first monarch since Queen Elizabeth I

On 7 November 1997 HRH the Queen visited Swindon and took lunch with 50 guests at Lydiard House.

Keeper of the House Sarah Finch-Crisp described in the December edition that she was able to tell Queen Elizabeth II that the last monarch to visit the house was Elizabeth I in 1592.

She said worries about an infestion of flies in the ivy above the arch by the house through which the Queen was to walk came to nothing, whilst museum and catering staff ensured the day passed without a hitch.

Click to read Sarah's account of the big day on page 19 of the December 1997 Link magazine

Pictured: The Queen on the steps leading into Lydiard House waving to children from nearby Tregoze Primary School who had walked the short distance to Lydiard Park to welcome her. Photos: Roger Ogle