It began when civil engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel and mechanical engineer Daniel Gooch put their railway works at the foot of Swindon Hill. Without that, Swindon as we know it wouldn’t exist.
No 3: GWR Railway Village
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No 4: Public Art in Swindon
Public Art in Swindon: I’ve no idea how much public art other towns have but it seems to me that Swindon has an astonishing amount.
‘When I began blogging about Swindon, the public art was one of the first things I turned my keyboard to. Not that I even knew the term then. Back in the corner of Derbyshire I left behind, the closest I got to it was an ancient village pump, a cenotaph and a redundant and rusting pit-winding wheel. Hence, discovering all the public art in Swindon was quite the revelation. It’s not possible to write about all of it here but, if you’re so inclined, Born Again Swindonian has oodles of posts about Swindon’s public art – in particular the West Swindon sculpture trail.’
10 things to celebrate about Swindon
Back in 2013, when I conceived this blog, my starting point was 10 things to celebrate about Swindon.
his was a non-definitive list, in no particular order, of things that I felt worth shouting about. The list encompassed parks, public art, artists, museums and even the buses. Though, TBH, I’ve changed my mind about the buses. (2020)
No 10: Multicultural Swindon
Well dear readers, here we are with the last in my series of 10 things I think are worth celebrating about Swindon.
It’s not by any means a definitive list. Merely 10 things that have made an impression on me. Any one of you out there could make a completely different and equally valid list. The point being, and as Brian so eruditely points out in his post, Swindon and Swindonians – and after 20 years here I’d like to count myself as one because Swindon is definitely home to me now – has so very, very much to be proud of.
No 9: David Bent Artist
It’s something of a cheat putting David Bent artist into this list of ten things to celebrate about Swindon. Not because he doesn’t warrant inclusion – good gracious me no. Nothing could be further from the truth. No, no. What I mean by it being a bit of sleight of hand is that, when I set up this blog and created the aforementioned celebratory list a few years ago now, David wasn’t on it. Why not? Well because I didn’t know him and hadn’t heard of him back then.
No 8: The Magic Roundabout Traffic System
Yes! The Magic Roundabout traffic system. As featured heavily in Secret Swindon.
It’s a bit like Marmite. But whether you love it, hate it or are indifferent to it you certainly can’t ignore it.
No 7: Swindon leisure facilities
Swindon Leisure facilities represented the land of milk and honey to me and my 12-year-old daughter when we pitched up here in the early 190s.
We left a small village in Derbyshire, a part of the country left ravaged and war-torn (and that’s not too strong a term) by the miners’ strike and the Tory government. Not only were there no jobs and no prospects there was nothing to do and nowhere to go unless you had a car which I didn’t. Once Meadowhall and Cystal Peaks opened in the Sheffield areas, our local town of Worksop, simply died.
No 6: The Museum of Computing Swindon
This post, as you can tell, is a very early post on this blog, featuring the Swindon Museum of Computing. I really need to have a word with my chum Simon Webb, get a guided tour, and redo it. But this will give you the idea.
No 5: Ken White – Swindon’s Mural Man
Ken White – Swindon’s Mural Man. Known and loved by many Swindonians for the murals that once were scattered across the town. Only one now remains, and that’s his first one, the Golden Lion Bridge mural.
No 2: Arts and Culture in Swindon
When I first conceived this blog I needed a starting point. So I came up with the idea of 10 things to celebrate about Swindon. This post is No 2: Arts and Culture I have often heard it said that there is no culture in Swindon. Of the arts sort that is, rather than...
No 1: Parks and Green Spaces – Lydiard
When I first conceived this blog I needed a starting point. So I came up with the idea of 10 things to celebrate about Swindon. This post is No 1: Parks and Green spaces – Lydiard Park.
West Swindon – What the eye doesn’t see
Swindon In 50 Buildings
Swindon – A Born Again Swindonian’s Guide
Dona Bradley Architectural Illustrator
We Are Swindon
