A response to Cllr Renard’s Swindon Advertiser article on 18/3/2021
A response to Cllr Renard
Dear Cllr Renard
Before I start I wish to clarify that when I use the terms YOU/YOUR etc I’m not necessarily referring to you as a person. I’m using ‘you’ as a metonymy for the body for which you work (the cabinet and/or the Conservative group – not however many other employees are in those offices) and which you represent. I trust you’ll appreciate the difference where it’s applicable.
Attitude is all
Over the last couple of days, I’ve written much about the Oasis. But what has driven my fingers back to my keyboard in a mixture of astonishment, bewilderment and fury, is your comment inthis morning’s Swindon Advertiser.
Shining like a super-trooper from that piece – indeed from the very heading itself: Oasis dome is at the end of its life – it’s time for a modern leisure centre –is, it seems to me, a lamentable lack of humility and an awful lot of paternalistic, patronising arrogance.
What that heading, and the contents of your piece, scream to me, is ‘daddy knows best. The medicine is nasty but it’s good for you’.
Said Cllr Renard:
‘I for one, will be keeping my fingers crossed Historic England does not grant it listed status because it is time to give the Oasis a new lease of life and many more families treasured memories.’
Seriously? What leader of a council that purports to care about its town’s heritage would even say such a thing?!
Are you so completely out of touch with those you’re supposed to be serving? Whether we voted for you or not!? I’m speechless! Well … almost … That’s a simply appalling thing to say – and an excuse!
And the whole point, the one that you’ve missed with such brilliance, is that the ‘plan’ (I use that word with reluctance) you’ve put forward takes away the very thing that makes the Oasis the Oasis.
It’s plain dishonest to put it forward as giving ‘the Oasis a new lease of life and many more families treasured memories’ when it’s nothing of the sort.
That’s a plan for a leisure centre not the Oasis. Let’s be clear on that. I’ve already banged on about that so no need to over-egg that particular pudding.
Who says?
Who says it’s time for a modern leisure centre? Apart from you because that fits your particular narrative I mean.
Where is the hard evidence that the dome is environmentally and economically unviable? By which I mean unbiased reports from such organisations as the Twentieth Century Society,RIBA and Historic England. Or any other credible organisation that could produce reliable evidence of what you’re all too willing to claim.
Show that to Swindonians who don’t want to lose what matters about the Oasis – its very form – and they might listen. Show – don’t tell. PLEASE.
Playing devils’ advocate
So, for the sake of argument, let’s imagine that you do have hard evidence of the unviability of the dome and you genuinely can’t make it work, some humility, some regret, some acknowledgement of feeling and desires of your citizens wouldn’t come amiss.
How about, instead of telling us that it’s time for a new leisure centre, you preface presentations of that ilk with something like:
‘We appreciate how much the dome/insert name of heritage asset in question, means to you. We’ve explored every option to the Nth degree, it simply doesn’t add up and this is why …
And we’re sorry. We regret that BUT – we can do this instead ….‘
But no – you go all didactic and TELL us what’s good for us.And worse – you do it all the time.
Sorry really is the hardest word it seems.
Yours,
In increasing sadness and increasing frustration – a Swindon enthusiast.
PS: Going off topic a bit: I am prepared to accept with good grace a dome-less facility if I’m assured that all avenues have been explored to save the dome. But have they?Therein lies the rub eh?
Video here, by Karl Webb, showing the Oasis and the celebrity support for the campaign: https://fb.watch/4i9oofREml/
Now I feel moved to put furious fingers to my keyboard on the topic of the Swindon Oasis Dome. The cause of my ire? The appearance of the image below on my social media stream this morning. I nearly choked on my first black coffee of the day!
2, 3 and 4 in that list have instantly recognisable outlines. They’re the muse for artists of every genre. No 3 inspired a song (allegedly) and No 4 inspired a pop group’s name. I can’t see the above doing any of that can you?
This does though:
No appreciation for what you have
What we see in in that image SBC is proof, if any proof were needed, that you have not one iota of appreciation for, nor understanding of, the treasures you have in their charge. The neglect of the public art being a big case in point and the West Swindon sculpture walk in particular.
In my very cynical moments (Cynical? Me?!) I wonder if there’s not shades of the Festival of Britain going on there. Y’know, when the incoming Conservative government demolished the Skylon with unseemly haste …but I digress.
What we also see is the contempt that you hold for the views and the desires of the people you purport to serve. The arrogance is breathtaking.
THIS thing that looks a like a Didcot power station reject – is NOT what Save Oasis Swindon want. And I’d venture to suggest that it’s not what most of Swindon’s people want either.
If you think that ‘this’ bathes you in any kind of a ‘oh-look-at-our-amazing-plan-for-the-oasis-aren’t we-great’ sort of light you’d perhaps best sack your spin doctor. #justsaying
The point missed
The whole point of the Oasis is its very form: the dome! The Dome is the Oasis. And the Oasis is the dome. One is synonymous with the other. Any restoration that takes away the dome IS NOT a restoration of the Oasis. It’s merely a pool.
It’s a building with architectural and cultural significance. It also has pop history significance. It’s iconic and it’s a Swindon landmark. More of all that on the aforementioned blog. The above would be ‘any pool’. No one wants ‘any pool’. What we want is the Oasis as it is.
The other factor making this pool special is its accessibility. This is a super important point that’s being overlooked I fear.
The Oasis is not only the only leisure/fun pool for MILES – the nearest being Bracknell – it’s also the only fully accessible facility for children and those with mobility issues.
Its lagoon shape, that you can simply walk into as you’d walk into the sea itself, is perfect for families and the less mobile. There is nothing else like it in Swindon – or for miles around.
So much lost
Swindon has lost so much. Don’t let’s add this to the list. While I very much welcome the news of the funding for the Health Hydro, one does not substitute for the other! The cultural significance of Milton Road baths cannot be overstated. And I’ll back to the hilt all moves to save/refurbish etc that facility.
But the Oasis does matter too. For very different reasons but it matters nonetheless.
‘Swindon Borough Council has released an architectural drawing of the new multi-million pound SevenCapital plan to transform The Oasis into a regional waterpark. But they have warned that the plans could be scuppered if an application to Historic England to give the site listed status is approved, a claim that is disputed by the Save Oasis Swindon campaign.’
Well … to paraphrase the immortal words of Mandy Rice-Davies – they would say that wouldn’t they?
And from the Save the Oasis campaign:
“Historic England reassured MP Robert Buckland very recently in discussions, that if the Oasis becomes a listed building, then they will work with him and any developer to make sure that a renovation can happen. This was posted on Robert Buckland’s own Facebook page on 16th February 2021.
“So why are the Council continuing to suggest that approval of the listing application will scupper refurbishment, resulting in the permanent demise of the Oasis? Why don’t they reach out to Historic England and work with them in a constructive way? We fear that the listing could be used as a get out card for both Seven Capital and Swindon Borough Council, if they don’t find a way forward. That is unacceptable.’
The VERY worst thing about this apparent plan for me is that …
… Aside from the cluelessness about why the Oasis matters is the dishonesty. And the arrogance.
Had you explored all avenues and found nothing possible SBC and you’d then said: ‘look, we’re really sorry but we can’t save the Oasis but we can do this instead’ then that would at least be honest. But that’s not the case is it?!
And instead you’re dressing this up as you saving the iconic Oasis for future generation when it’s nothing of the sort. This is the computer-generated equivalent of a pat on the head and a lollipop.
Not forgetting the blaming of Historic England for wanting to list the building and using that as a reason why not. Oh PLEASE! I’m not an architecture expert but I do know that heritage/listed buildings up and down the country have been regenerated with great success. And on that matter see this: https://swindonian.me/2021/03/25/oasis-campaign-seeks-sustainable-solutions/
A stone circle and a tiny forest at East Wichel Park Swindon
EAST Wichel park Swindon now has its own stone circle (and a teeny, tiny forest) thanks to rocks recovered from Cavendish Square, reports the Swindon Advertiser.
The Sarsen stones, of the same type found at Stonehenge, now make a decorate feature in the play area at East Wichel. The addition of the stones has brought some much needed character to a somewhat bleak expanse. The stone circle comes following the completion of landscaping work around the play area.
Said South Swindon parish councillor Neil Hopkins, the stones had been on a temporary site until we worked out what to do with them. This is a thoughtful way to make use of them.
Tree planting
The area has benefitted too from having some trees planted. That’s been with help from apprentices at the Mini car plant and East Wichel primary school and nursery.
Photo: Matthew Bradley, South Swindon parish council
Swindon-based BMW Mini electric sponsor the forest site – appropriate. The environmental charity, Earthwatch installed the site and will monitor it for its biodiversity benefits. Explained Cllr Hopkins, “When we found they were prepared to sponsor a tiny forest site we thought we could use it for the East Wichel play area. It’s really terrific. It complements the stone circle, will make a big effect and take carbon out of the atmosphere. A new fence will go around the saplings to protect from deer.
Photo from South Swindon parish Facebook page
Linda Kasmaty & Jane Milner-Barry – Photo: Matthew Bradley South Swindon parish council
See this post from my guest blogger, Rebecca Davis all about Wiltshire’s wonderful sarsen stones – they’re everywhere.In the GWR park in the centre of Swindon and at Pinehurst lagoon for starters.
I very nearly put the nunnery Milton Road in Swindon in 50 Buildingsbut didn’t. So I have to include it in this Swindon in 50 More Buildings series, because it’s unique in Swindon. There is no other nunnery – or ex-nunnery – in the town. Unless someone can tell me otherwise.
And also, I can’t hear the word ‘nunnery’ without hearing Shakespeare’s Hamlet telling Ophelia to ‘… get thee to a nunnery … in Act 3, scene 1 of the eponymous play. So that feels like a good enough reason to include it too. Also called St Marks’ Mission House this building housed religious sisters from Wantage.
The sisters of Wantage
The nuns were part of the Community of St Mary the Virgin. In 1848, William John Butler, the then 29-year- old vicar of Wantage founded the community. He did that in the wake of the spiritual revival in the Church of England known as the Oxford Movement. CSMV – one of the first Anglican Religious Communities founded in England since the Dissolution of the Monasteries by Henry VIII.
In 1849, Harriet Day, a farmer’s daughter, came to assist the Revd William Butler in the formation of this new Sisterhood. And, in 1854, Simon Wilberforce, then Bishop of Oxford, installed her as the first Reverend Mother. A position she held for 33 years.
To deal with the continually increasing parochial work, 1880 saw the appointment of the the first assistant priests. A few years later there were five assistants. And from then until about the middle of the 20th century five or six was the usual number. Since the Second World War there have generally been only two.
To help with parochial work two sisters from the Community of St. Mary the Virgin, Wantage (Berks.) were sent to Swindon in 1891. 1896 saw a house built for them in Milton Road. And, after that date, a few sisters from Wantage worked in St. Mark’s parish. They were most active about the beginning of the 20th century when they ran a day school in Maxwell Street and organized various clubs in the parish. By 1965 the demand for their services was much reduced.
When the nuns decided to upsticks and return to the mother house in 1968, the vicar of St Mark’s expressed much regret at their going, saying he couldn’t imagine the parish without them.
1-3 Faringdon Road Swindon – W G Little Milliner and Draper
This building on the corner of Faringdon Road, now has flats in its up level. And the fabulous Love Browniescafe on the ground floor. But this unassuming building has an interesting back story. That of WG Little – and therein lies a problem, a concern with the conversion of this building. See below for more on that. *
W G Little Milliner and Draper
Born in Chippenham to a Scots family, William Graham Little arrived in Swindon in 1874.
A most successful draper and milliner, WG Little was also a leading councillor. He saw his community duty as something that he wanted to continue after his death.
Thus he took steps to ensure that the great wealth he amassed in this lifetime would benefit Swindonians when he was gone. In particular he wanted his legacy to help young people. Thus, came the establishment of a trust fund. Following his 1927 death, the fund has paid out well over £1million, targeting needy Swindon children and putting up money to promote his other passion: music.
Little came from a time when Swindon was home to people of true vision, who felt a genuine duty to the community. He was the embodiment of a spirit of philanthropy that defined the town. That and a caring instinct still evident in the fantastic work of caring volunteers and organisations in Swindon today.
There’s much more on Little’s legacy, and a great archive photo, in this Swindon Advertiser article, The Large Legacy of Mr Little. ‘Some of Little’s money, as stipulated, even went into re-building The County Ground. And the cash continues to roll in today, largely providing children from struggling families with school uniforms.’
One Swindonian, the late Joyce Line, studied English Literature at Oxford under the tutelage of Chronicles of Narnia author CS Lewis thanks to a grant from the WG Little Fund. And another, Paul Cooke attended RADA, the celebrated school for dramatic arts, with assistance from the fund.
The stench of the filthy lucre
The aforementioned Adver article tell us that Little, who never married, died at 70 in 1927 leaving an estate of £47,213 – equivalent today of around £2.5 million. As you’d predict the stench of filthy lucre filled the air when Little’s family, with whom he had largely lost touch, heard of his demise.
Having bequeathed £100 (£5,455 today) to a sister, Frances, he left the bulk to the town he loved. Naturally, his horrified kin weren’t allowing his hard earned fortune to slip through their fingers – not without a fight.
The family contested the will with ferocity. But after five years of be-wigged gentlemen thrashing it out in court, they lost. And that paved the way in 1932 for the WG Little Scholarship and Band Concert Fund.
It does seem a shame, given is philanthropy, that the town doesn’t better remember W G Little. So, when next you’re on Faringdon Road, look up above 1-3 and give a nod to the charity of W G Little.
‘….Until very recently, No’s 1 & 3 Faringdon Road were not owned by Swindon Borough Council. But were left and held in trust for the benefit of the community by WG Little, a deceased former Alderman. He built the premises in 1892, with Swindon Borough Council as the sole Trustee of the WG Little Trust …
The purpose of leaving the buildings in trust was so that they could be rented out and earn funds to supply the WG Little Trust with ongoing income. Income that could be redistributed for the above aims.
* If these buildings are sold off as flats they will cease to provide this service to our community.
Furthermore, the premises have a long history of community and voluntary sector use and have housed organisations such as Citizens Advice, Voluntary Action Swindon and the Swindon Racial Equality Council since at least the 1960s, further adding to the community heritage and significance.’
