Born Again Swindonian

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Born Again Swindonian

I moved to Swindon back in the 1990s from a part of the country devastated by the 1980s pit closures. So coming to Swindon was truly like coming to the land of milk and honey.

Swindon afforded me opportunities and facilities that were not easily obtainable back in my part of Derbyshire / Nottinghamshire. And that’s a big part – but not the whole story – behind my fondness for, and advocacy of, Swindon and the decision to build this Swindon-centric blog.

I’m aware of Swindon’s flaws. But who can show me the perfect urban conurbation? A good friend of mine, Carole Bent, once wrote a beautiful line or two, exhorting us all to look for the glitter in the concrete and the sparkle in the cement. Now I daresay that was a metaphor and not a direct reference to the urban landscape. Yet it’s applicable. It’s fair to say that the glitter in Swindon’s concrete is sometimes elusive. But look hard enough and you’ll see it twinkle. And this blog is a testament to that.

More about me

Latest Swindon Ramblings

I’m always looking for new and interesting angles to share when out and about in Swindon.

Last Orders – by John Stooke

Literature in Swindon, Made in Wiltshire

Wow! Yet another Swindon-related book. How fantastic. Hot on the heels of Swindon in 50 Buildings and the Ken White Bio/retrospective – both by me – and France Bevan’s recent book we have Last Orders by John Stooke.

No 3: The Bloody Mary

Eating, drinking, coffee etc, Swindon in 50 Drinks

Continuing our journey round Swindon in 50 drinks, this post features the Bloody Mary you see in the picture below - at The Tuppeny in Swindon's Old Town. I saw this image of this rather splendid looking Bloody Mary on the Twitter stream of The Tuppenny in Old Town....

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A word about our sponsors

When I’m not being Born again Swindonian and writing Swindon-related books I offer proofreading, editing and writing services as AA Editorial Services.

Food, drink and cafe culture

Swindon has a burgeoning independent eating and coffee scene. You’ll find write-ups on just some of them here.

Heritage, culture and the arts

Swindon is so much more than its rich and varied industrial history. It’s been described as a surprising creative hotspot. And it is. Read some of the posts in this section and you’ll see for yourself. I’ve lumped heritage together with arts and creativity because so often they are intertwined. The image shows the front cover of an issue of the very splendid Swindon Heritage magazine. Always worth a read

Swindon in business

A departure here from the rest of the site. Here are posts about Swindon businesses – many of them start ups like my own AA Editorial Services. Some, but not all, are paid advertorials. I have to earn a crust. That said, I know all of them personally, I’ve met them in some business capacity. I do business with many of them & trust in the rest.

AA Editorial Services

Things to celebrate in Swindon

Find out more about the starting point of this blog. My non-definitive list of ten things to celebrate about Swindon.

Swindon's sons & daughters

A whole host of writers, actors, musicians and other notable people have connections with, or roots in, Swindon. Read about some of them here. The sculpture in the photo is of the Swindon-born actress Diana Dors. It’s located outside the Shaw Ridge cinema complex in West Swindon.

Born Again Swindonian