Welcome to Lydiard

LYDIARD Millicent is still very much a community in its own right despite being just a few hundred yards from Swindon's western border. With a pub, post office and ancient parish church it has all the essentials of village life.

The village centres on a crossroads, pond and the beautiful parish church of All Saints. It is a mixture of ancient stone farmhouses, older cottages and newer in-fill developments. Like Swindon it has grown enormously over the last 50 years, more than tripling in size to a population of about 1,500.

Catering for villagers' spiritual needs is All Saints Church. It has been standing for 900 years and currently has 120 on its membership roll. The Lydiard Millicent parish magazine is essential reading for most villagers it sells 500 copies a month meaning just about every household must pick up a copy.

The village's origins go back at least as far as the Domesday Book of 1080 when there is a mention of Lydiard Manor. It was owned by the Norman knight Geoffrey de Clinton and his descendants until 1429 when it was sold to Robert Andrews.

In 1459 Robert Turgis became Lord of the Manor and he rebuilt it from scratch. The house he built remained until 1880 when it was destroyed by fire. The ruins of the old manor stood behind the church until the 1960s when a new manor was built. The village originally grew up around the manor and church.

It expanded rapidly from 1840 onwards when the railway came to Swindon at one time about half the workforce of the village were employed at the Great Western works. The village has an enthusiastic group of bell-ringers and some of the best sounding bells around.

They were restored recently at a cost of £25,000 by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry in London. The oldest three bells date from 1712, two more were put in place in 1906 and a third in 1932.

The neighbouring parish of Lydiard Tregoze is home to Lydiard House the Georgian stately home bought and renovated by Swindon Council in 1944. The house is open to the public throughout the year and entrance to the grounds is free.