March
The Great Western Embroiderers: Keeping Lydiard in Stitches
Saturday 27 March to Friday 30th April
Be dazzled by this fascinating display of traditional, complex and unusual embroidery inspired by Lydiard House, Park and St Mary's Church, produced by members of the Great Western Embroiderers Guild. With a great trail for children to hunt out unusual embroidered insects, to win a small prize. Normal admission to the house applies.
April
Great Lydiard Park Easter Trail
Easter Sunday 4th April 12 to 3.30pm
Join in a great Easter family tradition - find the clues hidden around the park to solve the puzzle and pick up a small chocolate treat! £1 per child.
Easter Walk
Easter Monday 5 April 1.30 to 3pm
Enjoy the Bank Holiday with a gentle guided walk looking at the historic landscape features of the park.
Animal Ears!
Tuesday 6th April 12 to 3pm
Kids can be funny bunnies with this hands-on craft session to make animal ear headbands to take home. £2 per child.
Super streamers!
Tuesday 13th April 12 to 3pm
Get arty and active by making a colourful, wind sock streamer to play with in the park. £2 per child
Meet the textile artists
Tuesday 13 April, 12 to 3pm
Members of the Great Western Embroiders Guild will be in the museum stitching and talking to people about the display and their work. Normal admission applies.
Park Games
Wednesday 14 April 12 to 3pm
Join the Lydiard Park Warden for some fun outdoor games and activities in the park. Drop in event - no booking required but all children must be accompanied by an adult.
May
Evening talk on Badgers
Friday 7 May, 7.30 to 9pm
Enjoy an informal slide presentation about badgers - one of Britains most interesting nocturnal mammals - including a Q&A session with Mike Newton of Wiltshire Badgerwatch. £3 Booking required.
Spring flower walk
Sunday 16 May, 10.30am to 12.30pm
A gentle walk around the park as the wildflowers and trees come into bloom - booking required.
Birdwatching walk
Sunday 23 May, 9am to 12pm
Enjoy a leisurely walk with plenty of stops to watch the bird life in Lydiard Park. Booking required
Half-Term Fun! May/June
Vernons Butterflies in Lydiard House and Walled Garden Animal Hunt
Saturday 29 May to Sunday 6 June
A new quiz trail for children to follow through the state rooms to find the butterflies that inspired Vernon, Viscount Bolingbroke. In the Walled Garden, there will be a trail of animals to find alongside the beautiful flowering bulbs. Admission charges to Lydiard House and Walled Garden apply.
Pond Dipping
Tuesday 1 to Saturday 5 June, 10.30am to 12.30pm
Join a fun pond dipping session to discover the secret wildlife that can be found in the lake at Lydiard Park. £3 per child Booking required and all children must be accompanied by an adult.
Introduction to Birdwatching
Tuesday 1 June, 10am to 3.30pm
An event for families who are starting birdwatching or enjoy watching birds in their gardens or parks. Chris Walker, Head Warden at Lydiard Park, will help you get into this fantastic hobby with a day of practical birdwatching sessions, advice on equipment and free bird identification sheet. £6 adult, £4 child, £12 family (1 adult & 2 children) Booking required and children must be accompanied by an adult.
July
Swindon Big Arts Day
Saturday 10 July 12.00pm till 11.00pm
A one-day festival celebrating all things artistic and creative in Swindon and you’re invited!
There will be fantastic performances, wonderful exhibitions, and taster sessions in arts activities, as well as an amazing Finale show, plus much more… all set in the beautiful surroundings of Lydiard Park.
The Swindon Does Arts team is busy planning the day and wants to make sure everyone can get involved. If you enjoy doing the arts in Swindon, sign up to the website www.swindondoesarts.co.uk to find out how you take part and stay up to date with all our news or catch us on Facebook.
Open Air Theatre
The very best in live entertainment is coming to the beautiful surroundings of Lydiard Park this August. Pack up a picnic and treat your family to an exciting evening of open-air theatre.
The Secret Garden
Friday 6 August 6.30pm
Young or old, we all need our friends ...
Catapulted by the death of her parents to live with her Uncle, Mary Lennox is the child from hell. Her Uncle, a recluse and cousin Colin, a spoilt and sickly child don’t really want her around, so what hope is there for Mary?
Finding the key to a secret garden, locked and hidden for ten years changes everything for the “family” and their lives blossom as mother nature works her magic. Performed in the great outdoors, Heartbreak Productions version of this classic children’s tale, demonstrates all that is good about friendship and promises to add a touch of magic to your summer’s evening
We suggest that you come with family, friends and a picnic basket!
Tickets: £12 adult, £7 junior, £33 family (2 adult & 2 children)
Shakespeare’s Globe present A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Friday 27 & Saturday 28 August 7.30pm
‘Summer is all the sweeter for a Shakespeare road trip’ The Daily Telegraph
Hermia loves Lysander and Helena loves Demetrius – but Demetrius is supposed to be marrying Hermia. When the Duke of Athens tries to enforce the marriage, the lovers take refuge in the woods outside the city, and walk into the midst of a dispute between the king and queen of the fairies. But they are not alone. So, too, does a group of amateur actors rehearsing a play. Between the angry fairies, the bumbling players and the dazed lovers, flies Puck armed with a love juice capable of making anyone fall for the first person they set eyes upon – no matter how unsuitable.
Performed on an Elizabethan-inspired stage, a small troupe of travelling players breathe new life into this amazingly inventive play. Dreamlike, funny and beautiful, eight talented actors reinvent renaissance touring theatre for the 21st century with Shakespeare’s greatest comedy.
Tickets: £15 adult, £10 junior
To book tickets for this summer’s “must-see” shows for all the family, please call the box office on 01793 614837 or call into the Arts Centre, Devizes Road, Old Town, Swindon.
Event Enquiries
If you wish to make an enquiry about holding any sort of outdoor event at Lydiard Park, please write in the first instance to:
Emma Valentine
Events & Marketing Officer
Lydiard Park
Lydiard Tregoze
Swindon
SN5 3PA
or E-mail evalentine@swindon.gov.uk giving as much detail as possible about your proposed event and its purpose.
We receive numerous requests for events of every kind; all are carefully considered, but we can only host a limited number of events each year. The selection of events is at the discretion of the Lydiard Park Management board.
For weddings and conference enquiries, please contact the Lydiard House Conference Centre on 01793 770062 or go to www.chartridge.co.uk.