Lydiard House Museum will reopen this April

By Jessica Durston - 13 March 2023

CommunityHeritage

Lydiard House Museum is due to reopen on Saturday 1 April with a new special exhibition highlighting the park in the 19th century.

The exhibition - entitled ‘Making Hay; Rural Life on the Lydiard Estate’ - aims to explore the experiences of several generations of families that worked the land.

On Thursday 13 April, people are invited step back in time to discover what life might have been like for a child living at Lydiard House in the Victorian period.

Visitors will have the opportunity to handle types of domestic items used in the day-to-day running of the house and play with toys, as young Vernon (the later 6th Viscount Bolingbroke) may have done at Lydiard Park in the 1890s.

The interactive sessions will be included with museum admission.

To reserve a place, those interested can email [email protected]

Cllr Matty Courtliff, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Culture, Heritage, Leisure, and Town Centre Experience, said: “As the weather warms up, the Easter holidays are a great time to visit Lydiard Park.

“I regularly visit Lydiard Park with my children to take a relaxed walk around the historic landscape and enjoy being outside.

“And for those who want to get to know the area a bit better, there are even educational activities and trails at Lydiard House Museum for people to enjoy.

“Their new special exhibition for 2023 gives a fascinating window into the experiences of rural life for ordinary people on the Lydiard estate, and I know I’ll be taking a great interest in it.”

From Saturday, 1 April, Lydiard House Museum will be open from Wednesday to Sunday from 11am to 4pm (last admission 3.30pm).

Tickets can be booked online or purchased from the House on the day. Admission to Lydiard House costs £6 for an adult and £3.30 for a child (Under 3s go free). Family tickets are also available.

For more information those interested can visit: www.lydiardpark.org.uk/museum

Members of the public can also now follow Lydiard House Museum on Facebook and Instagram @LydiardHouseMuseum, or Twitter @LydiardMuseum.

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