English Heritage plot the park; an education post is planned and Innogy continue to invest in the Lydiard regeneration project

Lord Rochester (actor Jon Preece) poses in front of his portrait by John Riley which hangs in the dining room at Lydiard House. He returned to his 17th Century ancestral home on 5 May to review his life as part of the Swindon Festival of Literature

The English Heritage Survey team based at the National Monuments Record Centre began an archaeological survey of Lydiard Park, writes Sarah Finch-Crisp, Keeper of Lydiard House.

Their detailed plotting of the landscape, using the latest satellite technology, will show us where future excavations will be necessary. One of the areas they will be examining is the site of what is believed to be an 18th Century Palladian temple which once overlooked the lake. The recording of the historic landscape has been principally funded by English Heritage and further details about their investigation will be described in the summer issue of the Lydiard Project newsletter and in the Swindon Link magazine.

As we await Heritage Lottery Fund's decision to back the £5 million restoration and development project, there is welcome news of additional complimentary funding from The Ernest Cook Trust. The trust which has previously supported conservation work in Lydiard House has awarded £13,000 to support a Lydiard Project Education and Outreach post. The outreach worker will develop links with local schools to ensure that children across the town can be involved in the restoration programme from its earliest stages.

Another very welcome bonus is news of a further investment of £30,000 from West Swindon based energy supplier, Innogy. This brings Innogy's commitment to the Lydiard Park Project to over £110,000. The interest and involvement of the company's executives and employees, many of whom have joined discovery walks around the park, brings both goodwill and added impetus to the project.