Swindon in the Past Lane

And then in the afternoon we went to Rouen - there was no hanging about on this trip! Famous for its medieval streets and the Notre Dame Cathedral, we were deposited for a mere two hours to explore this ancient city. With so little time we were restricted as to how much we could actually visit. The Notre Dame Cathedral was, of course a must, but even here we only had time to walk briskly round. Building began on the present cathedral in the 12th century but a church has stood on the site since the 4th century. In 1876 the construction of the Tour Lanterne (Lantern Tower) elevated the cathedral to the tallest building in the world, a record it retained for just four years. Monet painted the cathedral more than 30 times between 1892-93, capturing it in different light and weather conditions. In April and June 1944 WWII bombing raids badly damaged the south aisle while the North Tower was burned. Since then the Cathedral has been in a permanent state of repair. On the day of our vi...

I don't very often leave the confines of Swindon, but I recently marked a significant birthday and my daughter treated me to a weekend in France to lessen the pain. We had a wonderful, if frenetic, two days courtesy of Newmarket Holidays and saw some amazing sights. We stayed at the Best Western, St Quentin, Maurepas, an adequate hotel where they were oddly very precious about how many croissants one ate at breakfast, and woe betide guests if you messed up the ticket system, as I managed to! Our first trip was to Monet's magnificent gardens at Giverny. Now, I hate to be a typical moaning Brit abroad, but really, the National Trust would do it so much better! Monet moved to the idyllic village of Giverny in 1883 where he began work on the garden that inspired him for more than 43 years. Ten years after moving in, Monet bought a neighbouring piece of land where he created his water gardens, inspired by the Japanese gardens he loved so much. Sadly today the gardens are separ...

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...

This week began with an endurance test, included a significant birthday, some excellent cemetery news and ended with an 10th anniversary and a fete. Across the Bank Holiday weekend the Swindon Heritage team was out pounding the streets, delivering copies of the magazine. I covered the length and breadth of West Swindon while my two colleagues delivered the rest! I got to see areas of Toothill I didn't know existed, and how beautiful it is too, with stunning views across to Wroughton. By the end of the week the job was done, or so we thought, until we discovered a glitch in our less-than-foolpoof system. Too big a job for pedal power, Graham left his trusty cycle behind and drove more than 70 miles, delivering to subscribers who had dropped off the list. But by now subscribers should be satisfied, stockists stocked and with just Lydiard House to deliver to tomorrow, the Autumn edition of Swindon Heritage is out there. Enjoy! Followers of events at Radnor Street Cemetery will...

Regulars at the Southbrook Inn may be unaware that their favourite watering hole was once a dairy farm.  In 1986 the 18 th century building received a Grade II listing but a farm has stood on this site for much longer. When the property came up for sale in 1763 Thomas Goddard, Lord of the Manor of Swindon, was ready to sign on the dotted line, having informed his attorney, Mr Thomas Athawes, that he was ‘very well satisfied with the Title of Southbrook Farm.’ The Abstract of Title over which Thomas Goddard had cast his discerning eye dated from 1669 and is available for consultation at the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre in Chippenham.  This document provides a detailed history of the property and its various owners and occupiers across nearly 100 years. The property in Rodbourne Cheney was included in the marriage settlement of local couple Thomas Richmond alias Webb and Elizabeth, the eldest daughter of Sir William Thomson in 1690. By 1763 the p...