Lydiard Country Park – visitor experience and income generation

Client: Swindon Borough Council
Working alongside The Environment Partnership, we were commissioned to prepare a Country Parks’ Strategy for five country parks managed by Swindon Borough Council.  

Lydiard Park is a beautiful historic estate on the western edge of Swindon, with the former Estate House, Church, Hotel, Restaurant and Conference Centre and Lydiard House Museum set in the Grade I mansion house.   The parkland covers some 260 acres and includes a café, a tearoom, a play area, a large expanse of open countryside and a walled garden.   The Grade II walled garden, built in the 1700s in a rhombus shape, has a separate admission charge. Lydiard Country Park also hosts a number of large-scale signature events.

Our work focused on assessing the existing visitor experience and the park’s current operations.  This was coupled with an extensive programme of stakeholder engagement with staff, volunteers and interested parties.   A primary research module was conducted among visitors, and the wider market context was analysed.    The research and analysis were brought together, and a visitor experience development plan was prepared for the country park, alongside a commercial strategy to increase income-generating potential.  A vision was prepared for the five country parks.

Find out more about the other country park projects we have worked on.

How can we help?
If you would like to develop a strategy, commercial revenue generating plan or visitor experience masterplan for your country park, please don’t hesitate to contact Richard Linington on 07866 74628 or email richard@pslplan.co.uk