Last Saturday the Friends of Lydiard Park held their Christmas social in Lydiard House to which as a Friend I was invited; it's quite a perk being a member of the Friends because going to a party on the first floor of the house is something quite special. I arrived early, as suggested so I could look round the downstairs rooms, and took a photo of the very impressive outside of the house before going in. As you can see, the sun was out, and being quite low in the sky cast dramatic shadows.
The house is set in wonderful parkland, such a lovely setting
I looked up the website and it gave this brief introduction:
'At the heart of the park is Lydiard House – a striking Grade I listed
Palladian house that for 500 years was home to the St John family. The
ground floor state apartments of Lydiard House have been beautifully
restored and are open to visitors to view the ornate plasterwork and
original family furnishings displayed alongside portraits and
photographs of the St John family'
It's quite a shock walking into the library where there's a very realistic figure at the desk
There's a great feeling inside the house, almost as if the ancestors are still living there!
I think this lovely candelabra is in the Main Hall
along with a Christmas tree and wreath hanging at the front door.
The Dining Room is beautifully laid out, including a wreaths tied to the dining chairs
Another realistic figure attends to the diners' needs
The Drawing Room has this magnificent mirror on display against the flock wallpaper which apparently dates back to the 1820s
In the 18th Century it was usual to have a bedroom downstairs, this one has an ornate four poster in the room
and an adjacent Dressing Room which 'celebrates Diana Spencer, 2nd Viscountess Bolingbroke and it is in this
room that you can find two of Lydiard House's most unique objects - the
rare 17th century painted window and the mechanical desk, made by
Giovanni Socchi in the early 19th century'
I loved the semi circular ceiling above the alcove
and the painted window is lovely, although hard to see properly because of the mechanical desk in front of it. Having looked around the house, visitors were directed up the wide staircase to the sitting room, and adjacent room. We were welcomed with a glass of wine and chatted for a while to other members, then the Chair of the Friends, Sarah Finch-Crisp talked to us about various things including a truncheon belonging to a resident of Lydiard Tregoze years ago. There was a great unveiling of Lydiard House as it looked in the 1700s by
Billy Beaumont who had been working on it with Michael Gray who helped with the architectural details
We finished off the afternoon with some live music provided by a great trio singing and playing old tunes, including a wonderful rendition of 'In the Bleak Midwinter', and the raffle was drawn. A great afternoon's entertainment, thank you to all those involved in making it happen.
Do go and have a look round Lydiard House before it closes for Christmas. It opens on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 11am-4pm with last entry at 3.30pm. It doesn't reopen until possibly 9 April 2022, so try and visit before Christmas.
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