There aren’t many classrooms in Swindon that come with chandeliers and centuries of history, but that’s exactly what’s on the cards at Lydiard House.
Plans to turn part of the Grade I listed building into a sixth form teaching space have been given the green light, following approval by Swindon Borough Council’s Planning Committee last week. It marks a notable shift for one of the town’s best-known heritage sites—one that looks set to bring students into its story in a more permanent way.
Councillor Marina Strinkovsky, Cabinet Member for Placemaking and Planning, met with students and staff from Lydiard Park Academy shortly after the decision to share the news in person. By all accounts, it landed well.
The scheme will see around £700,000 invested into the upper floor of the house, with a series of rooms carefully refurbished to create teaching space for roughly 120 sixth form students and staff. Importantly, the ground floor—home to the building’s well-known state rooms—will remain open to visitors, preserving its role as a public-facing museum.
That balance between access and adaptation sits at the heart of the project. Lydiard House isn’t just another building to repurpose; it’s one of the area’s most recognisable historic landmarks. Any change needs to tread carefully, and the emphasis here is on a light-touch approach that respects the fabric of the place.
For students, though, the appeal is more immediate. Studying in surroundings like this is a far cry from the standard sixth form block. It’s not hard to see why there’s a sense of anticipation building.
Gary Pearson, Principal at Lydiard Park Academy, describes a “real buzz” among both staff and students. Walk them through the house, he suggests, and the reaction is plain to see—pride, curiosity, and a feeling of being part of something a bit different.
The project also strengthens existing ties across the wider estate, linking the academy more closely with Lydiard Park, the museum, and St Mary’s Church. It’s a partnership that leans into the educational potential of the site, rather than treating it as something to be looked at from behind a rope.
There’s a practical side to this as well. Increasing use of the building helps support its long-term future, bringing in additional income and reducing reliance on public subsidy—an ongoing challenge for heritage sites across the country.
With planning permission now secured, attention turns to the preparatory work and refurbishment itself. If all goes to plan, students will begin lessons there in the next academic year, adding a new layer to a building that has seen plenty of history already.
When Swindon Borough Council bought Lydiard House back in 1943, the intention was always that it would serve the community—through education, recreation and public use. More than 80 years on, this latest chapter suggests that original idea still has some life in it yet.
