Lydiard House is a stately home that was acquired by Swindon Corporation in 1943 and extensively restored. In this view the house is on the left and the church, in 2008 still awaiting renovation, on the right.

Please note, Lydiard House and Park is not a National Trust property. It has been beautifully restored and the interior is presented in a way quite different to the National Trust. I enjoyed my visit very much.

Find out more at: www.lydiardpark.org.uk/

Why did I present this photo in black and white? I wanted to emphasise a gloomy quality of past times. As I was walking on the footpath I couldn't help feeling a sense of the former owners in past centuries. The relentless blue skies and hyper-green foliage of typical stately home photography can often obscure rather than highlight the intrinsic character of an old house.

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Keywords: Lydiard House, Swindon, Wiltshire, stately homes, southern England, houses