The old and the new

The Town Hall in Regent Circus

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Next to the new library is Swindon's Victorian Town Hall. Still the dominant building of the town though now longer used as the town hall (now a dance studio). With the coming of Brunel's Great Western Railway works in the early 1840s 'new' Swindon gradually started to be built, starting with the Railway Village. For quite a few years this was separate from the original Swindon now known as Old Town. As 'new' Swindon grew, the gap between the two communities closed, linked together by Victoria Road, Eastcott Hill, Kingshill Road and even the hillside cemetery behind Radnor Street which served both the 'old' and 'new' towns. The 'new', as it then was, is now part of Swindon's history - sadly much of it has disappeared with the 'progress' of the 1960s when many of the terraced streets and red-brick Victorian buildings were demolished to make way for roads and modern buildings.

The Town Hall was built in 1891 - here is what Mark Child says about it in his excellent illustrated History of Swindon:

"Here was the New Swindon Local Board making a statement in 1891, with a building that dominated the Swindon sky-line, in a position that was also clearly visible from Old Town .......From the moment it was built, the New Swindon Town Hall became a vocal point for large outdoor meetings and places where visiting worthies were displayed to the people. The Town Hall clock has been known to chime eccentrically over the years, once in the 1960s striking 24 times at three o'clock in the afternoon. Eventually, local government outgrew the building and it was removed to the Civic Offices, built for the purpose in 1938."

Note: Today many of the 1960s buildings have been demolished as the town's council seeks to regenerate the town centre - hopefully the old Town Hall and the new library will continue to stand side by side as an example of how the new can (in the hands of skilled architects) compliment the old.

Swindon's new library

View of the new library from the crossing going towards Victoria Hill

The new Central Swindon Library

The stairs leading to the second floor
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Hidden Swindon has mainly been about the places I walk around the the town, places are generally best accessed by foot. Here is another wonderful place - no secret and definitely not hidden.

Swindon's new rotunda central library - a building any town would be proud of, beautiful inside and out. I usually head for the 'quiet' second floor where the ancient history section is.

Addendum:

Many thanks for the two comments, much appreciated. To answer Sean's question, the new Central Library replaces the prefab building that was (according to Swindon Web) on the site for 30 years. In fact there had been a smaller prefab building on the site since the 1950s so the old hut served Central Swindon as a library for well over 50 years.

Edit: 4/12/08 - Just came across an excellent article by Mark Child in January's edition of Wiltshire Life - recommended.

Croft Wood in November rain

A carpet of beech leaves - soft and springy underfoot

One of the more mature trees in the wood - now almost leafless

I realised today that I have neglected some of my favourite places around 'old' Swindon. Croft Wood is a joy and has appeared on this Blog many times. Full of bluebells in the spring, today it was carpeted with autumn leaves. A magical 'hidden' little wood tucked away between Croft Sports Ground and Pipers Way - this part of Swindon is a patchwork of copses and footpaths through strips of woodland. What a beautiful place it must have been just half a century ago before the motorway, corporate headquarters and the upmarket hotel.

No! to the Coate Development - update

(photo taken in January this year)

The 'Council Oak' at Coate Water - the same tree featured in Richard Jefferies novel 'Bevis, the story of a boy'. Richard Jefferies was born at Coate in 1848 and died in 1887.

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Below is a reproduction of a photo that appeared in yesterday's Swindon Advertiser

The land by Coate Water Country Park

Permission has been given by the editor of the Swindon Advertiser to reproduce in part the following report and the above picture.

Yesterday's Swindon Advertiser (12/11/08) ran a 'good news' story on its front page under the headline: No! Not In Our Backyard. Report by James Wallin (Political Reporter).

Plans to dump 1,500 houses close to a local beauty spot have been condemned by Swindon Councillors. An application to build on land near Coate was branded a "travesty" by planning committee members at a meeting last night. An appeal by the developers, the Swindon Gateway Partnership will now be considered at a public inquiry on February 10th 2009. But Swindon Council has sent a strong message to the Secretary of State that in their view the proposal is "fundamentally flawed" and should be refused.

The battle to save this land and its historic associations with the writer Richard Jefferies whose house (now the Richard Jefferies Museum) stands on the corner of Dayhouse Lane is not yet completely won but with 52,000 signatures on a petition against the development the Save Coate campaigners were upbeat after the council meeting: To quote the Swindon Advertiser again - Jean Saunders said: "I think it was a wonderful decision by the councillors and I pleased to hear their support for Coate Water".

Jean Saunders and other campaigners such as Brian Burrows and Felicity Cobb have worked tirelessly for the past five years or so to stop this development. After Bath University pulled out of their earlier plans to develop a campus on the site the developers dug their heels in and lodged an appeal with the Secretary of State on the basis that Swindon Council had not made a decision about the building plans for the site.

The Swindon Advertiser has reported this story right from the start and has been active in keeping the people of Swindon informed of every setback and progress made in this long campaign.

The Red Lion at Avebury

The Red Lion Pub - from the Cove at Avebury

Avebury is often very busy so week days are the best time to visit. Just a short walk outside the henge in any direction will bring you to the pastoral tranquility of sheep grazing in meadows - if you just want to clear the mental cobwebs away. On my visit today in the pale November sunshine, there were groups of schoolchildren with their teachers on field studies - what a lovely day out from school. The children were all, without exception, engaged and interested in the massive stones. I walked out along the West Kennet Avenue of stones to Waden Hill where there a spectacular view of Silbury Hill may be had. Today there were sheep grazing across the hill and also clambering up Silbury.

For refreshment, or just to catch up with friends, the Red Lion thatched pub sits in the centre of the stone circle. Pagans and druids gather there at certain times of the year to celebrate various festivals including the summer and winter solstice. The Red Lion has its own ramshackle charm, I recall sitting outside in sunshine by the old stable area (now an outside storeroom) with a 'walking' friend back in August and was enchanted by the fledgling swallows taking flight from the the top of the wooden doors. Quite magical.

The pub also has the old village well inside the front room of the pub which was a later addition to the original building. And if that's not enough, the Red Lion is reputed to be haunted by several apparitions including that of Florrie who (as legend has it) was murdered and thrown down the well ..... this has never been disproved as at the bottom of the well there now sits a large immovable stone.

Avebury is just half and hour's bus journey from Swindon. The no 49 bus runs hourly and is probably my favourite bus journey - as the bus travels uphill from Wroughton suddenly the downs open out and the air instantly freshens. I never tire of making this short trip from bustling town to ancient and unique landscape.

Radnor Street Cemetery - in November

Radnor Street Cemetery

Radnor Street Cemetery is a fascinating little hillside Victorian cemetery - I live very close by so often walk through en route to Old Town. Today, my friend and neighbour called in on me and told me this story of a rather humerous encounter in the cemetery.

Yesterday (Bonfire Night) my friend had taken her hidden short cut into the cemetery via a path that runs along the side of some houses. She was with her husband and little dog when fireworks started going off - the dog bolted and my friend's husband went after it. It was by this time starting to get dark and the large Victorian gates at the top and the bottom of the cemetery had just been locked. My friend then saw an agitated looking man who had apparently been locked in so she asked if she could help. On seeing her the man nearly jumped out of his skin and, while my friend was telling him how to get out via her short cut, he edged gingerly away. She finally had to show him the path while he kept a clear and nervous distance between them.

It was only when she told her husband about it and he roared with laughter did she realise the man she she had helped must have thought he had been speaking to a ghost.

The disappearing Front Garden

A peaceful rural scene viewed from the Railway Walk - farmland now squeezed between the motorway, new housing and Old Town.

Swindon's fast disappearing rural green belt - the Front Garden.

A rapidly changing landscape with the onset of the new housing development and road infrastructure. Still some farmland remains with the river Ray meandering through. Precious indeed!

The old railway walk (and sarsens)

The Kingshill Canal - en route home

More sarsens

These are on the bank of a slope leading up to housing development behind the old railway track. A local woman out for a walk told me that before there have always been there - before the houses there was a field and the stones were just there. So it seems that parts of old Swindon may have once been near a sarsen drift valley - perhaps where the motorway now runs. These stones would have no doubt been cleared from the route of the railway that used to run from Wootton Bassett to Marlborough via Old Town.

The Old Railway Walk - overlooking the changing landscape of Swindon's Front Garden, a much loved trail for dog-walkers, families and cyclists. (Has featured on Hidden Swindon before)

Ancient Echoes

A menhir shaped stone standing in Radnor Street Cemetery - very smooth and curved on one side. It is not hard to imagine that it may have one stood in a stone circle where the rites of life and death were enacted by our ancestors.

The grey lichen covered stones found on the roundabout in Sarsen Close

To people who do not know Swindon, our town compares unfavourably with the architecturally magnificent cities of Oxford to the north, Bath to the west, and Salisbury to south. Swindon has its own heritage firstly as a Wiltshire market town on a hill (Old Town) then later with the coming of Brunel's Great Western Railway as an working railway town. Following the construction of the m4 motorway, however, the town's image started to suffer - industrial and trading estates sprang up while large housing developments gobbled up the land. Still more developments continue and more green belt land is being lost. The most recent casualty is the Front Garden - the farmland that buffered the town from the motorway. Home to small herds of deer and other wild life .... all now displaced. The land surrounding Coate Water Country Park, still much coveted by developers, is not yet safe in spite of a vigorous campaign to protect it.

As I walk around this town that I have grown to love, I hear the cry of nature breaking through the cracks in the pavements. I hear its song along cycle tracks in the hawthorn and elder and in the small wooded areas that have somehow survived. I hear it in the wind whispering through the old willows by the many small streams and brooks that meander around the edges of the town.

All across the eastern side of the town there are sarsen stones seemingly scattered - though in fact thoughtfully positioned to enhance green open spaces and parkland. I have become something of a stone enthusiast and it always gives me pleasure to find new ones ..... except they are anything but new. Each new 'find' brings its own quiet stillness and ancient echo. Some have clearly been imported from the Marlborough Downs while others have something even more resonant of the distant past about them.

The 'stone-circle' at the bottom of Sarsen Close, Bankside - Old Town

Weathervane Hill (near the Ridgeway)

This tree was our landmark today as I walked across the open fields from the Ridgeway towards Ashdown House. My companion, the intrepid Pippa who knows this landscape like the back of her hand, was the first to spot deer watching us from across the field - and a buzzard in the sky.

At the foot of Weathervane Hill there is a sarsen valley where sheep grazed contentedly - even in the October sunshine, this particular field had a stark quality about it that seemed to compliment the tree on Weathervane Hill.

The Ridgeway and Waylands Smithy

Waylands Smithy

A short walk along the Ridgeway towards Uffington lies the burial chamber, Waylands Smithy, hidden by a screen of tall beeches, it was used for burials over 5,500 years ago in the Neolithic period.

Taken from the small information board erected by English Heritage:

Excavations have shown that the monument you see today covers and earlier barrow. Both tombs served as a focus for ceremonies linking the living and the dead, and may also have marked the community's ownership of the surrounding land.

The first structure was built here, between 3,590 and 3,555BC - it was a stone and timber box with two split tree-trunks positioned at each end. Over the period of less than 15 years the remains of 14 people, eleven males, two females and a child were placed in the box.

By the time the chambers were examined in 1920 they had been ransacked but they still contained the remains of several people.

The Ridgeway - towards Uffington

Swindon is overlooked by the wonderful prehistoric landscape of the chalkland 'barrow' Marlborough Downs. The Ridgeway transverses the downs just south-east of Swindon near Barbury Castle and Chiseldon. Today I was fortunate enough to meet up with a friend for the short drive up via Bishopstone, Idstone and Ashbury - all beautiful little villages on Swindon's doorstep.

It was a sunny, windblown October afternoon; the Ridgeway, along this stretch was lined with berry bearing hawthorn, buckthorn, elder and the unusual spindle tree, all interlaced with bright-red woody nightshade. Today, I saw more red admiral butterflies than I have seen all summer - these vivid butterflies did a upward curious spinning thing which I hadn't noticed before.

This section has been extensively repaired and the deep ruts left by 4x4 vehicles that used to frequent the track have been filled in. I am happy to report that 4x4s are banned from this particular stretch of the Ridgeway.

The Old Roman Road and St Margaret's Church

St Margaret is an interesting name for any church because this saint is mythological much in the same way at St George is. The image above shows St Margaret of Antioch - several legends abound and the above illustrates Margaret the Virgin's struggle with the Devil who took the form of a great dragon and swallowed her - she escaped this fate only to be later burned, drowned and beheaded (she was hard to kill).
[ref: The Women's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets by Barbara Walker]

The front entrance of St. Margaret's Church - built on the site of a Norman church, it dates back to the 13th Century. Just a few metres away from the old Roman road, Ermin Street. I have been unable to trace anything about the history of this lovely old church and remain rather fascinated as to why it was named after a mythological saint. The name Margaret can be traced to Sanskrit Marga "the Gate" or "the Way".

A detail in the masonry - a defaced head. Defacing images was common place at the time of the Puritans though I do not know if this is what has happened here.

A detail from one of the old stained glass windows within the church; oak-leaves and wild flowers.

Ermin Street (Way) an old Roman road

Ermin Street in Stratton St Margaret is built on the old Roman road which ran from Glevum (Gloucester) via Corinium (Cirencester) to Durocornovium (Wanborough) where there was a Roman settlement on to Calleva Atrebatum (Silchester). Stratton (originally Stratone) comes from the Latin word 'strata' meaning paved way or street. There is archaeological evidence that there was a small military town and trading post in the area and close to the junction of the their two major roads near the present day Stratton St Margaret. This was also known as Durocornovium so was probably part of the Wanborough settlement.

Winterbourne Monkton Church

St Mary Magdalene Church

The little Norman church at Winterbourne Monkton near Avebury - not really part of Swindon at all, but just a short bus ride away (no.49) through the beautiful, rolling Wiltshire countryside. This was my first visit to the church and village see http://wrens-and-hedgesparrows.blogspot.com/ entry "Bean field on a blustery day". The church is open to the public during daylight hours and is epitomises peace and tranquility in its beautiful setting on the edge of the World Heritage Site - Avebury.
Note from a leaflet in the church:
In about 928AD Glastonbury Abbey aquired Winterbourne Monkton and the Monks settled the village. They had a small building for worship but it is not clear if this was the foundation of the present church or not. However in 1133 there was a Chapel which is now the chancel.

A detail from the famous Norman font depicting a Sheela Na Gig - a fertility goddess figure. Most of these were later destroyed under Oliver Cromwell and this is a rare remaining example. It is interesting that this church is named after Mary Magdalene as historically she is meant to be the 'the Woman who knew the all' or 'Mary the Light-giver' and is associated with the feminine trilogy ruling birth, love and death.

STEAM - Swindon's Railway Heritage

Today I made a spontaneous (first) visit to the STEAM museum - and most interesting it turned out to be. The museum is very cleverly laid out with recordings, films and sound effects bringing it to life at every turn.
I enjoyed it thoroughly and recommend the Railway Festival being held this weekend on Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th September.
Ken White, Swindon's legendary artist who started his working life in Swindon's Railway Factory as a sign writer will be present. Ken has worked all around the world and has achieved considerable fame - he still lives Swindon, though as far as I am aware, the Borough does not actually own any of his work.

One of the three paintings by Swindon artist, Ken White. They hang in what is now the Designer Outlet Village - once part of the Engine Factory. This one shows the men leaving the factory by the Rodbourne bridges - the road and bridges remain unchanged.

The Evening Star comes home - for the Railway Festival

THEN

One of the evocative displays in the STEAM museum - a large photo display with real machinery in front of it, giving the allusion of men actually working.

NOW

The Designer Outlet Village (on a quiet day)

A back alley that runs between the small houses of the Railway Village - where many of the original railway workers lived.

Swindon's Forest Festival

The stand run by the Swindon Climate Action Network - working to inform the people of Swindon about the effects of climate change and the benefits of sustainable transport.

Visit their web-site at http://www.swindonclimate.org.uk/

In many ways this stand sums up the ethos of the Forest Festival and highlights the many people in and around Swindon who are working to protect our environment. I spotted Brian Burrows still working tirelessly on the Save Coate campaign - well done Brian (and Jean) for keeping on keeping on.

This is the tenth anniversary of one of Swindon's best events. Held at one of my favourite local places to walk - the Lawn, it remains relatively unsung. Lots of people of all ages enjoying the hot sunny day (first one in August) in the relaxed atmosphere of the festival. Live music, stalls (e.g. mushroom growing, organic and Fairtrade produce), make your own bird-box, plus a food and drink tent. This year there were some low-key woodland games for the youngsters - of all ages.


Excellent local band, I'm afraid my picture doesn't do them justice. The singer has a lovely voice plus is a talented guitarist and flautist. A rather breathless violinist joined them a bit later.
Find out more at
http://www.myspace.com/thesweetplums

Traditional woodcraft being demonstrated

TWIGS is a community garden set up with the aim of giving people who have experienced mental health problems a chance to regain confidence and learn new skills - a stepping stone to recovery, further education or work. The garden is open every Wednesday and Friday - described an oasis of calm from the stresses of everyday life, it can be found at the back of the Manor Garden Centre in Cheney Manor.

Ukuleles in the bandstand

Ukebox Jury in the Town Gardens bandstand -

still without its roof after the lead was stolen from it earlier in the year

I have written about the Town Gardens and the bandstand several times before. I, like many other Swindon residents, was very upset when the lead was stolen from the recently renovated Victorian bandstand earlier in the year. But the bands played on ..... the regular brass bands have been there on Sundays during the 'summer', often in the rain. Today I wandered past and the sun was actually shining. This group of men and a couple of ladies were putting on a splendid show with their ukuleles. Their leader did a very good line in corny jokes which pleased the people of all ages who were sitting around. Their good natured renditions were mostly of early sixties standards though they did a really good version of 'Make Me Smile' by Steve Harley and the Cockney Rebels.

Had the sun not been shining they would have brought it with them - in fact their CD was on sale and I found myself buying a copy of "Painting The Clouds With Sunshine" - not because I'm a great fan of the ukulele but because of the enthusiasm and good humour they brought to the bandstand in the park.

Find out more here:
http://www.ukeboxjury.co.uk/

Invisible Stones

The above stone is one of the most unusual I have seen - it looks as though it should be standing upright as is nearly 13 foot long and much wider at one end than the other.

By chance I found these sarsens a couple of evenings ago - they are outside a small group of private flats at the top end of Grosvenor Road which leads to a footpath that used to access the old Princess Margaret Hospital (now the site of a new housing development). I walked past these stones in the past without actually seeing them - the other day I saw them.

The amazing quality of these ancient grey stones that originate from the sarsen drift on Marlborough Downs is their ability to become invisible - to blend with the background. I wonder how many people actually look at them and ponder on their history.


The east side of Swindon is peppered with sarsen stones - I've spotted them at Coate Water, at Shaftesbury Lakes, the Lawns, Queens's Park, at the start of the cycle track on Queen's Drive (route of old canal), on some open ground opposite St. Mary's Church in Rodbourne Cheney. They also crop up on the roundabout and outside the garden centre in the Rodbourne Cheney area.

Pete Glastonbury, who is a local expert on Avebury and Stonehenge believes, there was once a stone circle where the M4 now runs. I have to speculate as to what happened to the stones - did they get buried under the motorway or were some of them saved to be relocated around the old part of Swindon.

Star Windows at the Health Hydro

The door to what was once the Ladies Turkish Baths - from both sides to show the effect of the light shining through it.

The Ladies Turkish Baths - now just the doorway to some treatment rooms

Two of the beautiful star-windows which are tucked away in the more secluded parts of the building. One is very high up serving almost as a skylight, the other small star-window is actually in one of the 'smallest rooms' in the building - but I managed to find it.

Today I finally got around to attending one of the many health therapy sessions at the Milton Road Health Hydro. I had an alternative motive however, as I had been meaning to take a closer look at the little star window which is visible from the road.

The history of the Health Hydro is very much linked to the Great Western Railway. To quote from Mark Child's 'Swindon - An Illustrated History' Milton Road Baths. Built in 1892 at a cost of £10,000, the building featured two swimming baths........ Metal rings are still in place on the outside wall to allow patrons to tether their horses.
There is a plaque on the corner of the red brick building which says the following:

THIS TABLET WAS ERECTED TO PLACE ON RECORD THE EXISTENCE OF THE GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY MEDICAL FUND SOCIETY WHICH FROM 1847 PROVIDED A MEDICAL SERVICE FOR THE EMPLOYEES OF THE RAILWAY AND THEIR DEPENDENTS.

THE SOCIETY CEASED TO FUNCTION UPON THE INTRODUCTION OF THE NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE ACT ON 5TH JULY 1948 AND WAS DISSOLVED ON 31ST MARCH 1949.

Cycle path hedgerows

Out for my usual lunchtime walk today - along the cycle path that runs from Queen's Drive to either Stratton Road or Greenbridge - you have a choice of directions . It is a fairly busy path used by the workers employed in the Greenbridge area, dog walkers, school kids (though on holiday at present) and the odd lunch-time escapee (me) out for a little forage - a sandwich shop nearby.
The cycle-path has the remnants of ancient hedgerows which still exist, as it used to be the route of Swindon old canal and also runs alongside the little river Cole.

Conkers almost ready to drop

Elderberries hanging in lush clusters

Blackberries

These were some of Nature's nuts and berries seen along the hedgerows during my lunchtime walk. Much more to observe, wild flowers, butterflies, bees (still busy) hawthorn bushes in bright red berry - autumn seems to be coming upon us this year while we are waiting for summer to start.