The Baptist School/Albion Club on Bridge Street represents a classic example of me not following my own advice of ‘looking up’. Because, when someone posted a picture on Bookface of what you see below and asked if anyone knew its location, I had to plead ignorance. Despite it being a building I’ve walked past countless times.
Detail of the inscription on the wall.
Designed by Thomas S . Lansdown of Brunswick Terrace (Bath Rd) this Baptist school building is all that remains of the Fleet Street Baptist church. It was built adjacent to the church, in Bridge in 1868. Or so Mark Child states in his Swindon Book. He goes on to say that the congregation moved to the Baptist Tabernacle in Regent Circus in 1886. It appears that, the following year, the Fleet Street premises underwent partial demolition and the site converted into four shops. It’s also had a period serving as part of the Albion Sports & Social Club.
The building as you see it above is now undergoing conversion into residential accommodation – one reason for giving it a mention here – see below. And see this article from the Swindon Advertiser too.
The Albion Sports & Social Club
The building that you see the gable of on the above photo used to look like this:
The Albion club poured its last pint and closed its doors for the last time in 2017. Since then it’s sat empty and decaying. The club consists of three buildings:
- the former Baptist Sunday school – see above
- An adjacent two-storey building on Bridge Street and …
- … a separate 20th century building on Henry Street. You can see an image of that here: https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/photos/item/DP263338
I’ve got to wondering how old the Albion Club (as an entity) is. From what I can work out, it was in the schoolroom by 1923. So when was it founded? Somewhere in the 1910s?
From what I can gather the club began life in No 2 Bridge Street – the old chapel school. But then, in 1978, moved to No 62 Bridge Street. But if anyone out there has other/different information do let me know.
Another thing I spotted only recently, so failing yet again in my ‘look up, look down, look around’ exhortation are these gorgeous tiles. They’re on the left of the building you see above – partially obscured by a big advertising poster thing for a Turkish barber. I do hope no-one destroys them.
