20 Fleet Street Swindon is in a sorry state. Even so it warrants a place in Swindon in 50 More Buildings. For this once fine building has had a varied history. One that I want to record before it gets into a worse state and/or ends up ruined like its near neighbour at No 24 Fleet Street – otherwise known as The Public Benefit Boot Company. The developers actions on the windows of that building are an utter travesty. That’s with ‘enforcement’ apparently …
Besides that, I mention this building in my Born Again Swindonian’s guide book in a New Swindon walk/trail. In the book I urge readers to look up. I mean … it’s still worth doing that of course. Take a look and consider how lovely it was once. Look past what you see now – and what you see now is what you see below. It’s got windows open, a plantation growing on it … just going to rack and ruin in general.
It’s in private ownership – more on that later – and that’s an all too common scenario. Private landlords sit on buildings that get into this state and slowly ghettoise the areas in which they’re located. As this building – and the Burton building on the corner – are doing to Fleet Street/bottom end of Bridge Street.
How it began life
Drew & Sons architects and builders built 20 Fleet Street in 1897 as the North Wilts Conservative and Liberal Unionist Club.
By 1915 it had become the YMCA. This Swindon museum and art gallery flickr shows it in its YMCA heydey.
Over the years the building has housed the Southern Electricity Board offices, the Litten Tree pub, The Big Fish (2007), Fever (2013), Groove in 2014 and, most recently, Incognito. (Thanks to Strolling in Swindon for that info)
It makes me so bluddy sad to see what used to be a lovely Victorian building reduced to this.
As for now
Right – well- brace yourselves. This article in the Swindon Advertiser from September last year tells us that: Empty Fleet Street pub could become Swindon’s biggest HMO.
Another HMO – yay!! While I understand we need quality residential stock in what was a retail area and all that stuff – a giant HMO – can we not do better than that?
‘The former YMCA and more latterly pub at 20 Fleet Street can be converted into either a 34-room house of multiple occupation or two flats and a 10-bed HMO.
But it still stands empty and the distinctive façade has paint peeling off and plants such as buddleia growing from nooks and crannies and widows falling in nearly a year after Andrew Thomas of Fleet Street property based in Malmesbury was given permission by Swindon Borough Council to put either of his proposals into action.’
So, Mr Andrew Thomas of Fleet Street Property Malmesbury – I put it to you that the people of Swindon deserve better from you than a decaying building and a matching decaying area … so crack on. ‘Cos even a giant HMO is better than what we’re looking at!
