On The Lydiard Archives this month we delve deep into Lydiard Park’s archaeology with a Special Collection devoted to excavations and findings over the past fifty years. The earliest archaeological investigations at Lydiard Park took place in 1972, when Swindon Archaeological Society, with the help of RAF divers, discovered a lakeside structure containing a quantity of material relating to the 17th and 18th centuries.
Later, extensive explorations were undertaken in 2004 by Wessex Archaeology. Wessex were commissioned to make a series of targeted excavations to help inform The Lydiard Park Project, a major landscape restoration programme completed in 2007. With the involvement of over 1000 local volunteers, they led excavations in the Walled Garden and many other areas including drives, avenues and paths, the park pale and ha-ha, lakes and church field. Exciting discoveries included a well in the walled garden, a rare plunge pool by the lake, lost areas of the ruinous dam wall and Roman villa material. We’ve shared many of the finds and reports on The Lydiard Archives.
