October half-term activities at STEAM and Lydiard House Museum

Swindon’s STEAM Museum and Lydiard House Museum are both putting on activities which visitors of all ages can take part in.

At STEAM, a new Stanley the Spider trail will be set-up around the museum and visitors can combine this with other activities scheduled over the rest of the week. On Wednesday, 26 October families can join in with a drop-in spellbinding arts and crafts session between 10am and 4pm, while STEAM’s popular Meet the Railway Workers experience returns on Saturday, 29 October.

The museum’s friendly and knowledgeable volunteers will welcome visitors aboard the footplates of the Swindon-built GWR locomotives and visitors will be able to go on guided tours throughout the day.

This year, STEAM has launched three new special exhibitions exploring the changes to train travel on the GWR network: ‘The Diesel Decades’ ‘High Voltage’ and ‘Changing Trains – the Journey from Broad Gauge to Standard Gauge’. The temporary exhibitions feature incredible images and objects from the STEAM collection, some of which are on public display for the first time.

October half-term activities are included with STEAM admission and visitors can book their tickets online: www.steam-museum.org.uk

Over in the beautifully ornate State Rooms of Lydiard House Museum, visitors will have the chance to see the special exhibition ‘Look Up! The hidden architectural features of Lydiard House’. A trail will also accompany the exhibition, to help families find surprising details hidden up high around the stately home.

Visitors who are inspired by the portraits on display at Lydiard House Museum will have the opportunity to draw their own on Thursday, 27 October! And best of all, The Swindon Museum and Art Gallery Team will also be providing tips and tricks for creating the perfect portraits. There is the chance to experiment with a variety of drawing materials, design masks, or have a go at a piece of performance art and create a living portrait.

October half-term activities are included with Lydiard House Museum admission. To reserve a space, please email: LydiardHouseMuseum@swindon.gov.uk with a preferred session time: 11am, 12pm, 1.30pm or 2.30pm.

Lydiard House Museum is open on Wednesday, Thursdays, Friday and Saturdays, from 11am to 4pm (last admission 3.30pm).

Tickets can be purchased online or from the House on the day. Admission to Lydiard House costs £5 for an adult and £2.75 for a child (Under 3s go free). Family tickets are also available.

Councillor Matty Courtliff, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Culture, Heritage, Leisure, and Town Centre Experience, said: “With such a great variety of creative family activities taking place at STEAM and Lydiard House Museum, the autumn break is a great time to visit.

“Children can create their own portraits, take part in museum trails, and even climb aboard famous Swindon-built GWR engines. I would encourage all families to take a look at what’s on this October half-term at our two fantastic venues.”