Swindon in the Past Lane

Today we will see him move out of 10 Downing Street ... while she moves in ... but someone much closer to home had a very close connection with this most famous of London residences. Unfortunately there are no depictions of Sir Walter St John walking through this very same door, but there is some paperwork to prove that he probably did. So what is the connection between the St John family, Lydiard House and 10 Downing Street? Edward Lee 1st Earl of Lichfield was the grandson of Anne St John, the daughter of Sir John St John 1st Baronet and his wife Anne Leighton who owned Lydiard House and Park in the 17th century. Charlotte Fitzroy, Edward's wife, was the illegitimate daughter of Charles II and Barbara, Countess of Castlemaine, the granddaughter of Barbara St John, Sir John's sister. This brother and sister are represented on the St John polyptych in St Mary's Church. Young Edward Lee was created Earl of Lichfield, Viscount Quarrendon and Baron Spelsbu...

Nicki Western, Marketing, Events and Premises Manager at Swindon Museum and Art Gallery, arrived at the Swindon Heritage History Day weighed down with some extremely heavy bags. Among the museum artefacts she had brought with her was a selection of the ever popular Alfred Beaney photographs. Here's a blogpost I published in December 2012 about the Beaney archive. Swindon Museum and Art Gallery has possibly the largest family album ever - and they want to know the names of everyone pictured in it. The albums contain 40,000 photographs taken in the 1940s-70s by local man Albert Beaney.  Alongside his commissioned work Albert would travel the streets of Swindon on his motorbike, taking photographs of the children at play.  He would then return with his prints in the hope of selling them to the childrens' parents. Consequently only addresses and street names were recorded in his notebooks - the names of those pictured remain unknown. In 1998 the collection, a priceles...

Yesterday we were pleased to host Swindon Pulse Wholefood co-op's 40th anniversary celebration. If you haven't yet discovered this Swindon gem, go along to the great little shop in Curtis street. (You can now park opposite) writes Andrea Hirsch on the Friends of Lower Shaw Farm facebook page. So in view of this auspicious occasion I am publishing an article written in March 2013. The premises at 27 Curtis Street has a long history of retail. In 1971 Jack Trueman ran the long time family butchers shop. Before the Trueman family butchery Thomas H. Cave was a greengrocer at this address and today it is the home of Swindon Pulse Wholefood Co-operative. Co-operative member Cath talked to me from her Bond villain chair in the office behind the shop where Madeline James was busy weighing out and pricing lentils. Swindon Pulse Wholefood Co-operative began in 1976 out of the back of a Morris Minor van pitched up in Swindon’s old market.  The initiative of residents fr...

The weather was kind to us (just a few spit spots of rain) and the heritage fans turned out in force. Here are a few photos from our first ever Swindon Heritage History Day. We hope you had a good time. We certainly did! Graham and Brian Carter were busy all day with burial register look ups The lovely Diane Ian and Jan from A.E. Smith Rodbourne Community History Group Dave Woods from Swindon 105.5 Maggie Brunger   Caroline Davies Khan and the Savernake Street Social Hall Andy Binks talking about William Steward Noel Ponting talking about Jimmy Thomas Andy Binks talking about Samuel Carlton Noel Ponting talking about John Hudson Read A packed chapel for the Swindon Heritage History Day Mural man Ken White and movie man Martin Parry Noel Beauchamp talking about George French (Hooty) and Jim Hurst  Darryl Moody from Local Studies and the Book Pedlar