The friends of Lydiard Park tell us, on their website, that the great forest of Braydon once extended across north Wiltshire. It covered much of the ground where Swindon now stands as well as the land destined to become Lydiard Park.
The other week my regular guest blogger, Rebecca Davies, sent me a delightful and charming account of an older couple she once visited in Ferndale. It’s a lovely story and it’s further down in this post. But as her story is set in Ferndale I figured I could tie it in with a Swindon in 50 More Buildings post centred on the Southbrook Inn Swindon. Which happens to be in Ferndale.
The Wiltshire Mummers’ Play: Mummers plays are an old Christmas tradition in many parts of the country. A group of friends would dress up, and go round the neighbourhood performing a little play. This had a set script. But, thanks to oral transmission, this would have varied from district to district. In return they received money and food, and, no doubt, drink.
We call it Celtic. Though it’s also Pictish, Viking, or Anglo Saxon. We call it Interlaced though it can be freeform, zoomorphic, spirals or tessellated. What am I talking about? I’m referring to the genre known as Insular art. (Some of which comes from the Mainland…) (Bain 1977).
Wiltshire’s Sarsen Stones
A Canadian friend came to stay and, since they were a Neo-pagan, I decided to show them Avebury stone circle, a favourite place of mine. This didn’t go exactly to plan. For a start they were most upset because some Early Medieval people had decided to build their village on a sacred site.
Jubilee Lake Nature Reserve RWB - Royal Wotton Bassett 3rd June 2023 - update In the period since Lis wrote the post below about Jubilee Lake, my good friend Marilyn Trew has busied herself painting a map and information boards for a nature quiz trail that takes you...
You may (or may not) remember that Angela and I walked half of the River Ray Parkway last year, from Moulden Hill to John Lewis. This summer (2019) we finally got around to walking the second half, John Lewis to Coate Water.
Thanks to Jo Garton for this lovely guest blog post focusing on some of Swindon’s choirs. Which are many and various.
This is your note – sing it! Swindon’s lungs are bursting with singing opportunities.
31st October 2017 [jetpack_subscription_form] Swindon Symphony Orchestra Yes listeners. We DO have our very own symphony orchestra! Who knew?! Not me until relatively recently. Yet it's been here for twenty-eight years! We also have people performing chamber music...
9th April 2016 Golf Fore All! All about golf in Swindon. Now Mark Twain famously referred to golf as a 'good walk spoiled'. I'm not entirely in disagreement I won't lie. Many quips and quotes surround golf and here's a couple more of my faves: “Hockey is a sport for...
10 reasons to love Swindon: a northerner's perspective Swindon: THIS is Swindon To be fair I could easily have called this post '10 reason's to love Swindon: another northerner's perspective. What with hailing from a northern direction myself. An earlier guest post...
19th September 2015 'Tunes help you breathe more easily' so went the advertising slogan back in the day. Well, should you need it, you now have Julie Nicholls of Body-Mind coaching to help you breathe more easily - and more effectively than resorting to menthol-laden...
