County Road Swindon, we come to now in our Swindon in 25 Streets journey – the next location on from Fleming Way on the route I’m following for the book. Fleming Way ends with the Magic Roundabout – from there we exit onto County Road.

This one-time dirt track now traffic heavy thoroughfare takes its name from the County Ground sports stadium (or Wiltshire County Ground as it was in the first instance) to which it gave/gives access. That’s reason one for its significance here. The sports ground opened in May 1893 for the playing of football and cricket on a piece of land made available to the town by Fitzroy Pleydell Goddard. The Goddards being the Lords of the Manor in Old Swindon. 

Anecdotally, I’m informed the County Ground housed Italian POWs during WWII. A Born Again Swindonian reader tells he remembers seeing them walking round the town clad in khaki greatcoats with coloured patches on the sleeves.

1897

In 1897 the County Ground Hotel opened a mere few yards from the stadium of Swindon Town Football Club. It’s a popular watering hole for STFC’s fanbase when there’s an at home match. And a regular local when they aren’t. Somewhat surprising for a pub associated with a football ground, it’s also got links with pugilism. In fact, the pub’s favourite sport in modern times has been boxing, having been equipped with a gymnasium and former licensee Pete Neal a well-known former boxer. For more info on the County Ground Hotel go here:  https://swindonian.me/2019/01/19/the-county-ground-hotel-swindon/

Reason two for the presence of this road in this tome is the location at one end, of that Swindon icon, the Magic Roundabout – called, in the first instance, County Islands roundabout. Swindonians though had other ideas and nicknamed it the Magic Roundabout after the TV show of that name. At length the council bowed to the inevitable and made an official name change – and the Magic Roundabout it’s been ever since.

 The Arkell’s mural

Then at the other end of the road, you’ll find reason three, a striking advertising mural for Arkell’s brewery. This mural is often and erroneously attributed to Swindon’s famous muralist, Ken White. In fact, the mural is the work of one Sarah Faulkner who painted it in 1985. Arkell’s commissioned it to celebrate their brewing expertise and existence in Swindon since 1843. You’ll find it on the end house of County Road, at its northern end, opposite the Transfer Bridges – obscured by scaffolding more’s the pity.  The image shows it in 2017.

On the map

As you can see from this 1900 section of map, County Road is not so named – it’s still an unnamed dirt road at this point.

The Sheldon/Tomkins Roadways book gives 1905 as the date of the County Road name coming into being. Be that as it may, maps in the Local Studies section of Swindon central library have it marked in1923 so we can be sure it had got that name by then.