Fleming Way Swindon Centre 1962-1965 – from barges to buses.
Running through the centre of Swindon, Fleming Way takes its name from one of Swindon’s greatest footballers: Harold John Fleming (1887-1955). This road starts at the junction with Milford Street and then runs along to the Magic Roundabout and County Road. That marvellous, Magimix of a traffic system sits in front of the County Ground football stadium. There, of course, Harold’s feet performed footballing feats.
The very name Canal Walk is a stonking big clue to the history lying, literally, beneath it. Yet there’s no sense now, murals and markers in the paving aside (see below), that Fleming Way too sits atop an old canal route. But walk from the Debenhams building on the Parade and proceed in the direction of the Zurich building and then along to County Road and the Magic Roundabout and you trace the route of the Wilts and Berks canal.
Note though that the Debenhams building marks the point where the W&B met the North Wilts canal. See Canal Walk for more on that.
In Swindon Decoded, John Chandler writes that the construction of Fleming Way along the line of the lost canal comprised an attempt to keep cars and shoppers apart. An idea much favoured by 1960s town planners it seems.
So Swindon’s shopping streets became pedestrianised and cars found themselves diverted along this new, elevated roadway into multi-storey car parks. But it’s now all change. Fleming Way, or the £33 million bus boulevard if we’re going to get pretentious about it, has undergone remodelling into a vehicle for pedestrians, cyclists and buses. But no cars. It’s been controversial to say the least – but I like it. I was sceptical at first, I won’t lie but I’m now a convert. It’s attractive and it does enhance the pedestrian flow into The Parade, the entry point to the town centre from the bus interchange.
In the before times
The wonderful Local Studies department of the central library has in its repository a series of Garrard journals.
See Swindon in 50 More Buildings for more about the Garrard engineering company.
Volume 3, December 1957 – June 1961 has much to say about the building of Fleming Way. It states how, during the years of the 1914-1918 war, this comprised a stretch of the once important canal. It goes on to explain how, for many years after, it remained a stagnant, weed and debris filled pool. One that barred access to the Garrard factory beyond a circuitous route over either the York Road or Whale Bridges.
It seems that, over the years, enough stone and rubble got dumped to make a rough, temporary surface.
With authorisation from the Ministry of Transport, December 1958 though saw a start made on implementing a long-standing need. At the time of writing of this journal construction was almost complete on one section of Fleming Way adjacent to the Garrard factory. But of course, there was much more to be done.
See the entry for Canal Walk for how it looks today.
Things to look out for
Standing on the right-hand side of the road, as if you’re walking down towards the entry into the town centre, across the road is the Leonardo Hotel. Opposite that is the famous Golden Lion Bridge mural painted by Ken White in 1976 and refreshed by Tim Carroll in 2025.
Stroll down the road and look out for markers in the paving denoting where the Queenstown and Whale bridges once stood.
Lower down, before the left turn into The Parade, you pass the erstwhile Debenhams building – Bon Marche in the first instance. The legend Bon Marche remains but I note that someone has removed the brass that the letters were made from. Curious …
Returning to the Leonardo end of Fleming Way, proceed towards County Road and the Magic Roundabout and you’ll come across numerous murals – all outputs from Swindon Paintfest.
