Swindon in the Past Lane

The Town Development Act of 1952 set Swindon on an expansion that continues today and this 1950s photograph takes a bird's eye view of the two Parks estates under construction. With plans for Penhill taking shape, the Corporation soon turned its attention to developing the east of the town where it had purchased over 1000 acres of farmland, mostly belonging to the Goddard estate. Church Farm, acquired by the Goddard family in the 16th century,  stretched from the edge of the Goddard parkland to the two neighbouring farms at Walcot and was one of those to be ploughed up.   In all seven farms - Upper and Lower Walcot, Park, Church, Manor, Coate and Prince's - were swallowed up.  As Penhill neared completion in 1955 work began on the two Park estates. In the middle of the photograph can be seen the outline of the distinctive loop which would become Welcombe Avenue in Park North while Cranmore Avenue in Park South is more densely built along. Roads built in ...

"There is very little architecture in Swindon and a great deal of building," wrote poet laureate John Betjeman in 1950. This aerial view of the Faringdon Park area taken around the same time shows some of the many rows of Victorian terraced housing to which Betjeman, somewhat unkindly, referred. With an influx of Welsh workers moving to Swindon when the GWR Rolling Mills opened in the 1860s, additional housing had to be built, and quickly.  Initially accommodation was found for the Welsh families in the Barracks, a former lodging house for single men, but this proved both unsuccessful and inadequate and an alternative had to be found. The first stone cottages along Cambria Place were built in about 1864.  The 1871 census records forgemen, iron rollers and rail roughers from Llanelly, Tredegar and Ebbw Vale among those living in the canal side properties.  A Baptist Chapel seating 250 was built in 1866 where for many years the sermons were preached in Welsh. ...

Although he died in 1894, examples of William Affleck's Work can still be seen on the streets of Swindon today. William was born in Gateshead in 1816, the son of engineer Robert Affleck.  He served his apprenticeship at Hawkes & Son, a large engineering works and iron foundry at Gateshead before joining the prestigious Lambeth based engineering firm of Maudsley & Field.  He left Maudsley's to take up an appointment with the GWR in Paddington and in 1842 moved to 33 Exeter Street and a job at the Swindon Works. In 1853 William struck out on his own, establishing a foundry and engineering works in Prospect, Old Swindon on land previously owned by James Strange.  The business flourished and the 1861 census records William 45, a machinist and coal merchant, employing 17 men and 3 boys.  William and his wife lived alongside the works in Prospect Place with their growing family - Ann 16, Robert 15, William J. 6, Frederick 2 and four month old Frank. Willi...

Hook Farm signpost Today there is little evidence of the medieval village of Lydiard Tregoze.  However, despite the proliferation of 1980s building around Lydiard Park, it is still possible to trace a depression in the landscape close to the park and St Mary’s Church.  This is believed to be a ‘hollow way,’ the former medieval high street from village to parish church. The popular theory is that the village was abandoned following the Black Death when plague decimated the population.  The tithing of Lydiard Tregoze, a group of ten householders, a sort of medieval neighbourhood watch, continues to appear in records during the 16 th century but disappears after this date when there was a shift of population to Hook. The Bolingbroke Arms, situated between Hook and Greatfield, is little changed since it served the Lydiard estate workers in the 19 th century – or is it? The inn first appeared listed in early local trade directories and at the time of the 1841 census Sa...

Local MP Robert Buckland, Mayor Ray Ballman and council officials joined those gathered around Swindon’s cenotaph in bitterly cold temperatures and beautiful sunshine to mark Holocaust Day 2012. The ceremony opened with a haunting violin duet played by musicians Debbie and Michael as we were reminded how important music and the arts were to those inside the Nazi death camps. Matt Holland addressed those present to remember the innocent victims of genocide, not only the six million Jews who died during the Second World War but those massacred since in Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda and Darfur. By November 1939 the international press had already revealed there was mounting evidence of the plight of Jews in German occupied Poland.  Kept behind barbed wire in huge camps called ‘reservations’ men up to the age of 70 and women up to 55 were made to do 12 hours of forced labour a day with just one thirty minute break.  Children were looked after by the older women where it was reported...

You might think that a young unmarried, childless soldier who died in the carnage of the First World War might be forgotten today.  But more than 95 years later photos of Archie Knee have been published on the internet. In Australia a descendant of his sister Ethel has posted a photo of the young Archie on the Ancestry website. The Local Studies Collection at Swindon Central Library has a further two photos viewable on their flickr website.  Archie appears in a team line up of the 1912-13 Swindon Corinthians Football Club.  More poignantly he is also pictured in the September 1916 edition of the Great Western Railway Magazine among other GWR men who lost their lives in the war that month. Born in Stroud in 1892 Archibald Edward Knee was one of Francis and Rose Knee's eight children.  Francis moved to Swindon and a job as a railway carriage painter in the Works and by the time of the 1901 census the young family was living at 123 Albion Street. On leaving s...

Record numbers joined in a Service of Remembrance at Radnor Street Chapel on November 13.  The service is now in its seventh year and organisers Mark Sutton and Tony Fox said this was the largest attendance to date. Swindon Mayor Councillor Ray Ballman and representatives from Swindon Borough Council were among those who filled the Chapel to capacity while a crowd several deep stood outside. The service was led by Deacon Dennis Sutton and members of St. Mark’s Choir while Fr David McConkey, rector of the Parish of Swindon New Town, supported those singing outside the Chapel. Members of the 18 th Swindon Scouts attended the service, including Edward who told those gathered why wearing a poppy was important to him. At the Commonwealth War Graves Memorial bugler Derek Webb sounded the Last Post and Jim Leonard read from ‘For the Fallen’ by Laurence Binyon. Wreaths were laid at the Cross of Sacrifice by the Mayor, William du Plooy ex member of the Royal Fleet Air Arm and serving s...