Swindon in the Past Lane

If you enjoy local history books that are full of fascinating facts and amusing anecdotes then you are going to love Swindon Photographers & Postcard Publishers. Co authored by Local Studies librarian Darryl Moody and local historian Paul A. Williams, this compendium contains details of the numerous photographers who have recorded the people and places of Swindon since the photography craze took off in the mid-nineteenth century. Darryl freely admits he has become obsessed with the weird characters and their strange lives. Most of the photographers had second jobs, many employed in the railway works, but apparently taxidermy was a popular side-line as well. Paul Williams is related to ‘Wiltshire local history royalty’ with a family connection to William Hooper (see the book for more about Hooper) and Hammerman poet Alfred Williams.  Paul brought along some of Hooper’s photographic artefacts to the book launch held yesterday at Swindon Central Library including...

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

This impressive building once stood on the corner of Regent Circus and Commercial Road. The house was caught on camera shortly before and during its demolition in 1964. In 1901 number 34 Regent Circus was the home of Swindon solicitor Alfred Ernest Withy.  Alfred was born in Bath in 1860, the son of leather seller, shoemaker and Coffee House Keeper John Withy and his wife Sarah. Alfred grew up at addresses in and around Bath and in 1881 the family home was Tyndale Villa on Wells Road in Lyncombe and Widecombe where Alfred worked as a solicitor’s article clerk. In Trade Directories of 1889 Alfred appears listed as a solicitor and commissioner for oaths, a Wiltshire County Councillor and an insurance agent for the Alliance Fire and Life Company.  He married Florence Clinker in 1890 and the following year the couple were living at 1 Rolleston Crescent, an area identified as between Temple Street and York Place on the census returns of that year. With the newly c...

Today it is de rigueur for the about-to-be-married couple to circulate a gift list, but few would publish the results in the local paper.  Yet this was common  practice  among the great and the good of the 19 th  century and when the Goddard heir married he did just that. Captain Fitzroy Pleydell Goddard, second eldest son of Ambrose Lethbridge Goddard married Mrs Eugenia Sutton, widow of Alexander George Sutton, at the Parish Church, Chippenham on June 1, 1895.  The wedding, described as being of ‘a very quiet character,’ was performed by Captain Goddard’s brother, the Rev. C.F. Goddard assisted by the Rev Canon Rich, Vicar of Chippenham and the Rev Canon Mayne, Rector of Christian Malford.  Following the wedding breakfast at The Angel Hotel, Chippenham the couple left for a honeymoon in Lynton, Devon. While the wedding might have been a low key event, the presents were in a different league altogether and were described in the Advertiser as ‘...

Today is Jon Ratcliffe's last day behind the enquiry desk in Local Studies at Swindon Central Library as the busy department is reduced to one full time post and one part time. Jon has worked with the Local Studies team for two years, one year volunteering and one year as a member of staff. He will be greatly missed by his colleagues and the many visitors to this fantastic archive who have benefited from his knowledge of local and family history research. His area of expertise has been the architecture of our town, both old and not so old and he has contributed some stunning photographs to the library online archive. When the latest round of restructuring hit the library we were assured there would be no further cuts to front line staff. However, Local Studies has been hit under the guise of back room efficiencies. I for one am not convinced by this argument as the immediate impact is a reduction in the number of hours the enquiry desk will be able to open. Visitors needing h...

Last year an exhibition of Ken White’s work opened at The Post Modern, Theatre Square, Swindon to celebrate the artists' 70th birthday. In the 1980s Swindon boasted a fine collection of Ken's murals - one at Cambria Bridge, the famous ‘Swindon Personalities’ in Union Street/Prospect Place, the King Class Locomotive Passing Through Swindon Railway Works at Henry Street, to name just a few. Sadly today just one mural now remains - the Golden Lion Bridge looking down Fleming Way. And even more disgraceful is the fact that Swindon does not own a piece of Ken White’s art.  Now how on earth can that be? In 2003 Advertiser journalist Shirley Mathias was asking exactly that question. Shirley wrote: ‘But the closest Ken has come to recognition by the borough was an invitation to hang two works in a display which is part of Think Art, an event sponsored by the borough’s Swindon Arts project together with, among other supporters, Nationwide, Westfield who own the Br...

l to r Bob Townsend, Diane Everett and Andy Binks - image courtesy of the Swindon Advertiser Members of the Swindon Society are now on their summer break, so I thought it was time to publish a couple of blogposts about the work they get up to. Scroll down to see what's on when the group reconvenes in September. In 1972 a house in Eldene cost £9,600, local lad Gilbert O'Sullivan was number one in the pop charts with his song Clair and Pressed Steel was the biggest consumer of electricity in town as Swindon struggled to cope with power cuts during the three day week.  These were just some of the facts and figures Andy Binks and Dave Bedford revealed at Sunday's Swindon Society 40th celebrations held at the Southbrook Inn. The local history society was founded in September 1972 following a series of WEA lectures given by local historian Eric Arman and at Sunday's party one of those original members was still taking an active role. Membership secretary Martin Va...