Fleet Street and Fleet Square in Swindon town centre.
Way back in Swindon’s pre-history, before the completion of Brunel’s railway village, speculative builders began erecting houses outside it. At first, these houses for the GWR workers stood in close comfort to the railway village along and just off a track known as Fleetway or Fletway – a term derived from Old and Middle English. Fleet/Flet meaning, amongst other things, a slow-moving watercourse and way, from Old English, is what you’d suppose – a road, path or track.
Today we know this track as Westcott Place, Faringdon Road and Fleet Street. These small settlements became established as early as 1845.
Thus, as a green field site gave way to these new homes the area soon became a bustling part of New Swindon. When the railway village outgrew its shopping facilities (see Emlyn Square) this area had further retail offerings shoehorned into it – the potential for trade in Regent Street hadn’t yet been fully explored.
Tramlines
A distinguishing feature of the Fleet Street/Bridge Street junction was its function as the heart of Swindon’s tramways. The tramway opened on September 22, 1904 and had a depot in Corporation Street. A mere twenty-five years later they were phased out and it’s as if they never existed at all, so completely were they swept away by the new fangled omnibus.
Known variously as the tram centre, the centre or *Clappen’s Corner, from here one could take a tramcar to one of three destinations.
- Cricklade Road in Gorse Hill
- The Old Town Market Square and …
- … the far end of Rodbourne Road near the Bruce Street railway bridge.
The name Clappen’s Corner came from one William Clappen who ran a prominent clothing and millinery store on the right-hand corner of Fleet Street/Bridge Street. From 1905 to the early nineties the site became a Stead & Simpson shoe shop. This structure later had a date with the wrecking ball and Wilkinson’s (Wilko) built a purpose-built store there – it’s now vacated.
Referencing that ancient Fletway track, this modern building bears the name, Fleetway House.
Below is the same view of Fleet Street. The left hand image from Local Studies is dated 1912 approx. The one on the right early 2000s.
This view is taken around 1912. It looks eastwards from the tram centre along Fleet Street.
Fleet Street today
Over the years the area has housed a busy outdoor market and numerous drinking establishments. There’s no pretending though that it hasn’t, let’s say, lost its shine, in recent years. Indeed, Fleet Street and Bridge Street are two bits of Swindon that make me sad. Though that’s not to say they’re not worth visiting. Indeed, in Swindon in 50 More Buildings I highlighted three buildings on Fleet Street that I felt worthy of mention. In the first instance because they’re interesting and in the second because the state of them concerned me. They are:
- The Public Benefit Boot company – or at least the premises that once served as that establishment.
- 20 Fleet Street – a building that began life as the North Wilts Conservative and Liberal Unionist Club.
- The Burton building on the corner of Fleet Street/Bridge Street.
Scan of a 1908 postcard from Local Studies image collection.: 30th April 1908, East
Murals
Brightening the area we now have some large-scale mural action. This rather gorgeous creation brings life and colour to Fleet Square – a small area between the Sir Daniel (Wetherspoons) on one side and the Drink Valley, an independent micro brewery on the other.
The vibrant striking British wildlife corridor design features native wildflowers and a dragonfly, symbolising biodiversity. It also references the historic Wilts & Berks canal, part of which once ran through Swindon town centre.’
Having visited Fleet Street we now make our way to:
