Born Again Swindonian

A personal celebration of Swindon More about Born Again Swindonian Read our Swindon blog posts

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.

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Latest Swindon Ramblings

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

Cheeky Little Prints is 10!

Swindon in Business

Cheeky Little Prints founder Lisa Berry is thrilled to celebrate the 10th anniversary of her Swindon-based business which specialises in personalised paw print jewellery alongside bespoke paw print gifts and keepsakes.

Ken White Triptych Lydiard House

Arts/Culture/Heritage, Ken White

Well here's a thing. These past few months, alongside writing Swindon in 50 Buildings, I've been working concurrently on Ken White's story: A Ken White Retrospective. I, like many other people I daresay, had formed the impression that the only piece of Ken's Swindon work, still in existence, is the Golden Lion mural.

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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.

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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