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Showing posts with the label Arkell's

Another week, another walk Pt III

You might think it would be difficult to miss the black and yellow warnings on the railway bridge over the road but still lorry drivers frequently get their vehicles stuck, causing delays on the road and railway. An inn has stood on the site of The Runner, formerly known as The Running Horse since the eighteenth century, but it didn't get its equine themed name until the 1820s. Formerly known as the Royal Oak, some sources claim that the pub was renamed after the circus carousel horse ride which visited the nearby Westcott Recreation Ground during the early nineteenth century. A water mill once stood on the River Ray just south of the road. Mills were an invaluable source of income for the local Lord of the Manor and appear in that all important property inventory, the Domesday Book.  In 1086 Swindon, then five separate estates, boasted two mills each valued at 4s.   Records of a mill and land in an area called Eastcott and Nethercott, later known as Westcott, date...

Cheers and happy 170th birthday Arkell's

Bees still busy at work in the Walled Garden at Lydiard House Who would have thought Swindon could boast two literature festivals and a heritage magazine, along with all the other fantastic activities that take place across the year? While the weather most definitely had an end of summer feel about it, there was no end to the summer activities in Swindon this week.  Thursday saw the launch of the second Swindon Festival of Poetry at the Arts Centre in Devizes Road with words of wit and wisdom from festival organisers and guest speaker BBC Wiltshire presenter Mark O'Donnell. Matt Holland, Michael Scott and Hilda Sheehan have put together a fabulous four day festival of words and wit, kicking off on National Poetry Day, October 3 with high points including a M4 Corridor Poetry Day and visits by Roger McGough and Alice Oswald.  Michael Scott will be accompanying Swindon Heritage editor Graham Carter on a Vintage Bus Tour. Tickets cost £10 and sell like hotca...

Swindon Heritage revealed - well, almost

Next week sees the launch of Swindon Heritage, an exciting new local history magazine all about Swindon. Contrary to Ricky Gervais and popular opinion, Swindon has, in fact, plenty of fascinating history and this new publication is set to reveal some surprises. In the first issue you can read about the myths surrounding the magnificent Mechanics' Institution, a hub of intellectual enterprise established by innovative railway men in the nineteenth century.  Today the dilapidated building, high on Swindon Borough Council's 'to do' list is a familiar sight, but what went on there will be a revelation to those new to the town. Local farmer John Arkell went to Canada, founded a township and returned home to establish a brewery.  Today Arkell's is Swindon's oldest surviving business and they will be hosting the official launch of Swindon Heritage. This magazine, the first of its kind in not only Swindon, but the whole of the UK, is the brainchild ...