The GWR Park, in the GWR railway village, is a fabulous green space. It’s one that’s been much-loved and much-used by Swindon residents for over 170 years. Here it was, that the famous cricket hero, DR WG Grace, playing for Bedminster, suffered an infamous 1870 defeat by the New Swindon cricket team.
Along with the cricket pitch, the park once boasted extensive formal flower beds and greenhouses. Not unlike the wonderful Town Gardens in Old Town.
Sources estimate that, in 1904, some 38,000 people somehow crammed into the park for the annual Childrens’ Fete. Frankly, that sounds horrific – worse than a bank holiday in Bournemouth!
We want to know what you value about the park. And how you want to see it develop in the future. Tell us what you think by completing this short survey for this Swindon GWR Park Consultation.
If you‘d like to tell us what you value about GWR Park. And how you would like to see it developed, complete the short online survey below by no later than Friday, 28 May 2021:
We’ll use your views to form a conservation management plan that Cookson & Tickner are preparing. They’ve researched the park’s long history. Click on the survey link above and you’ll see some the wonderful photos, maps and information that they’ve amassed.
I sometimes think this fine building is a bit of a stone-work lost soul. It started life as accommodation for single railway men. It didn’t work well as that so became a chapel. Then later it housed Swindon’s railway museum before STEAM opened upby the Outlet Centre. And now, as The Platform, it’s used for education and performance – but not that much it appears?
The building as a lodging house
Grade II listed by Historic England, this building came into being as a communal lodging house for single men working on the GWR, drawn from across the country.
Isambard Kingdom Brunel himself drew up plans for an extensive, three-storey building in a Tudor-Gothic style. Construction began in 1847. But a recession between 1847 and 1849 forced abandonment of the building with only the ground-floor started on. As finances picked up work began again on the lodging house but to revised plans. In 1853-1855 the still Gothic style was intended to match the shop blocks in the railway village surroundings.
Large corner towers and smaller windows than those proposed by Brunel, put a more institutional look on the building. And thus perhaps gave rise to its local name of the Barracks. The lodgings had over 100 rooms, each with a bed, chest of drawers and chair. There were also kitchens, a bakery and day rooms with day and night porters overseeing proceedings. But it was never popular and the men preferred to lodge with a family even though that meant cramped conditions and hot-bedding. When the day shift went to work the night shift returned and got into the still warm beds.
The listing entry on the Historic England website tells us that the building seems to have remained more or less empty until 1861. That year saw it converted into two and three room units to house ironworkers arriving from Wales. They came to Swindon to staff the new rolling mills at the GWR works.
At length, the barracks became overcrowded and insanitary. Thus, in 1863, a new development of cottages arose on Cambria Place.
By 1866 the building was condemned as a living space. Frances Bevan’s Radnor Street cemetery blog recounts inspector Henry Haynes as writing to the New Swindon Local Board on 2nd August 1866. He said: ‘I consider this building in its present state quite unfit for human habitation and dangerous to the health of the district.’
At length, in 1867, the Wesleyan Chapel trustees bought it for £1,600 to convert into a Methodist chapel. It was in use as such until 1959 and saw the wedding of many a railway worker there is no doubt.
In 1962, the chapel became converted into the GWR museum by removing the gallery and laying the chapel with rail tracks to get locomotives in and out. Large glazed openings created in the south elevation gave access.
The millennium saw the museum moved to its current incarnation as STEAM and location within the former railway works.
Reasons for listing designation
Taken from the Historic England entry:
Architectural interest: 1. For its origins as a relatively rare building type as a communal lodging house for workers at the GWR railway works.
2. For the recognisable GWR house style of the original west range, reflecting the style of the rows of workers’ family houses and cottages. And also the taller corner buildings which punctuate the streets of the railway village.
Historic interest: 1. For its evolution through several significant phases from lodging house to chapel to railway museum. In that it reflects the changing needs of the railway company and its staff.
2. As an integral component in the extensive provision of accommodation, leisure and health and welfare facilities for workers at the GWR Works from the 1840s to the later C20.
Group value:
* with the neighbouring Mechanics’ Institution (Grade II*), the Central Community Centre (listed Grade II), formerly the GWR Medical Fund hospital, the Health Hydro, which was built as a swimming baths and dispensary for the GWR Medical Fund (Grade II*), the rows of workers’ cottages, and the other listed buildings forming the GWR railway village.
The Heritage Action Zone
The railway village conservation area is a Historic England heritage action zone – and that’s a fabulous thing.
When I say ‘chilly lunch’ I refer to the temperature/weather and not that we were served cold food! I know all about the vagaries of the British weather of course. Even so a T-Shirt, two layers of cashmere, a duvet coat and fingerless gloves felt a bit ridiculous as we go into May.
Jo & Marilyn
Angela Atkinson – Born Again Swindonian
The reason for the visit
You can’t have failed to notice that the world has spent the past year in the grip of the Covid-19 pandemic. With the vaccination programme rolling on almost at the speed of light, we in the UK are slowly emerging from lockdown. Thus, for now, we can meet outside.
Nothing about this situation has been fun for anyone of course. But it’s fair to say that hospitality and events has been hit harder than most things. Ergo, now we can socialise outside, restaurants and cafes such establishments are seeking ways to maximise the opportunity. Which brings us to the shiny new dining deck at the Swindon DoubleTree Hilton Hotel.
Seeking to capitalise on our new freedoms to dine outside, the hotel has installed a sizeable deck area with tables, chairs and parasols and a further gravelled area with picnic bench seating. So there’s a good amount of seating available.
So myself and two chums, Jo Garton and Marilyn Trew toddled along today to try it, and the food, out.
Swindon DoubleTree Hilton Dining Deck
Onto the food
I think perhaps the best way to talk about the food is to show it. There were no surprises on the menu – it was all the standard sort of stuff that you’d expect to find in such an establishment. But that’s not a bad thing by any means and isn’t meant as a negative.
It was all very tasty and served on a range of wonderful crockery. If I can’t have a white tablecloth *sigh* then the least I expect is decent crockery! And, particularly pleasing, the butter came in pats in an actual dish. As opposed to in those nasty, pesky little peel-back things that one is so often subjected to. Those things are bad for the environment and a messy fiddle to use. And they’re not … stylish. It’s the little things. So a big tick to the Hilton from me for proper presentation of the butter.
And, we didn’t think the prices were bad either – as things go.
Any negatives?
Only one. Not particular to this establishment and a personal dislike. But I have to get it off my chest. What? Starbucks!
I hate, loathe and detest Starbucks with the white hot intensity of a thousand burning suns. I’m afraid I hate the thick, massive mugs big enough to float a battleship in. And I loathe how much they, and other large coffee retailers for that matter, charge for a black coffee – frankly it’s stealing. But worse still – I don’t even find it nice. In essence, I’ve yet to find a coffee in Starbucks.
A very personal prejudice I accept. And I’m well aware that many people love Starbucks. And if you’re one of them – happy days at the Hilton.
Would I go again?
Despite the Starbucks, yes absolutely! When the clouds finally parted we could see that it’s a super sunny spot. They’ve got patio heaters and all-encompassing giant umbrellas arriving soon – so you could well enjoy a warmer meal than we did!
And a big plus point for me is that it’s within striking distance. And of course it’s all about location, location, location isn’t it?
So, in short, if you’re looking for an outside socialising and dining area in Swindon for work or pleasure – dash to the DoubleTree and hurry to the Hilton! With its location just off the motorway junction there, it is in an ideal spot with plenty of parking.
Peroni Red Label Beer I guess this one is a bit of a cheat in that I’ve already done a generic Italian beer post in thisSwindon in 50 drinks blog series. But here I’m taking the top off Peroni Red Label beer,
In that post I covered the ubiquitous Peroni Nastro Azzuro and Birra Moretti. But then, in my defence, I didn’t know of the existence of Peroni Red Label. Not that is until I happened to pop into DaPaolo’s Italian delicatessen on Commercial Road for a coffee the other day and saw some on his shelves.
To refresh – ha! – your memories
On the subject of Peroni Nastro Azzuro:
‘From the Peroni official website we learn that the Peroni family conceived this beer in 1963. A beer to embody Italian values of quality and craftsmanship. They describe the beer as being brewed through three generations of master brewers. According to them: ‘Peroni Nastro Azzurro uses only the finest ingredients, including our exclusive Nostrano dell’Isola maize.’
Thus, they say, they deliver a beer that is crisp and refreshing with a delicate balance of bitterness, citrus and spicy aromas with a fast, clean finish. I have no sense of smell so can’t comment on the aroma part.’
So now onto Peroni Red Label Beer – brewed since 1846. ABV 4.7%
Difford’s Guide tells us that Peroni is the original brand of the Peroni company. According to them it’s the most popular beer in the Italian peninsula. A bold claim.
Vinissimo meanwhile tells us that: ‘Peroni Red is Italy’s number one beer! Unlike the more famous Peroni Nastro Azzurro, the red labelled Peroni Red offers a slightly darker colour with more pronounced malty and hoppy characteristics.
The Peroni Brewery was established in 1846 in Vigevano, Lombardia. From then, Peroni has grown to become Italy’s most recognised beer and furthermore, Peroni red is the most widely consumed beer throughout the Italian Peninsula.’
So corroboration there then.
Now all that remains is for me to try it. I bought a couple of bottles of course! Now I would have got more but it was the carrying it. I do like a malty beer so I rather suspect I will enjoy it.
Dr Desmond Morris artist and anthropologist Born on the 24th January 1928 is a zoologist, ethologist and popular author on the topic of socio-biology. He is also a son of Swindon! Well – Purton – but that’s close enough for government work. His parents were Marjorie (née Hunt) and children’s fiction author, Henry Morris.
Aged five, Morris moved to Victoria Road in Swindon and attended the now-long-gone Swindon high school on Bath Road. There he displayed an obsession for art.
At the age of 20, Morris held his first one-man show of his own paintings at the Swindon Arts Centre and created a furore. Some forty-four years later he returned to Swindon for a major retrospective. Desmond, whose surrealist works have been exhibited all over the world, said at the time: ‘People think my painting is a hobby, but it isn’t. I was doing it long before the other stuff and it’s more important to me than anything else.’
In 2002, Swindon council acquired – with £1,000 each from the Friends of the Museum and Art Gallery and the Victoria and Albert Museum – a Morris original. Girl Selling Flowers is a collage of colourful imagery with a gorgeous pair of ruby red lips at its heart. Desmond painted it when he was eighteen after returning to Swindon from London’s Petticoat Lane market. Said Morris of this work: ‘I wanted to capture the colour and noise from hundreds of market stalls. Diana, who was a couple of years younger than me, was my girlfriend at the time. ‘I decided to incorporate her into the painting. Those big red lips symbolised Diana – they were her logo. These days stars have surgical treatment to get lips like that but Diana’s were natural.’ He added: ‘I have very vivid memories of Diana’s lips.’ Indeed, who wouldn’t!?
Come 1950, he held a surrealist art exhibition with Joan Miró at the London Gallery. Also, in 1950, Desmond Morris wrote and directed two surrealist films, Time Flower and The Butterfly and the Pin.
Going ape – Morris the zoologist
Meanwhile, back with this anthropology interests, in 1951 Morris began a doctorate at the Department of Zoology, University of Oxford in animal behaviour.
In 1954, he earned a Doctor of Philosophy for his work on the reproductive behaviour of the ten-spined stickleback.
Come 1956 Morris moved to London as Head of the Granada TV and Film Unit for the Zoological Society of London where he studied the picture-making abilities of apes. The work included creating programmes for film and television on animal behaviour and other zoology topics. He hosted Granada TV’s weekly Zoo Time programme until 1959 where he hosted and scripted 500 programmes. He also made 100 episodes of the show Life in the Animal World for BBC2.
By 1959 he’d left Zoo Time to become the Zoological Society’s Curator of Mammals. In 1964 he delivered the Royal Institution Christmas Lecture on Animal Behaviour.
Publications and more TV
Morris’s books include The Naked Ape: A Zoologist’s Study of the Human Animal, published in 1967. Anyone of a certain age is familiar with that title! This study of human behaviour from a zoologist’s perspective became a huge, international bestseller.
The book sold well enough for Morris to move to Malta in 1968 to write a sequel and other books. In 1979 he undertook a television series for Thames TV, The Human Race, followed in 1982 by Man Watching in Japan, The Animals Road Show in 1986 and then several other series.
National Life Stories conducted an oral history interview (C1672/16) with Desmond Morris in 2015 for its Science and Religion collection held by the British Library.
His grandfather William Morris, an enthusiastic Victorian naturalist certainly had much influence on him during his time living in Swindon.
In that capacity, during Covid, Desmond gave the group a terrific talk via the magic of Zoom during which he shared so many wonderful anecdotes about his great grandfather, William Morris, and the founding of the Swindon Evening Advertiser, Diana Dors, Queen’s Park lake, Jimmy Bomford and lots more.
And here is a Zoom link to the fab talk from Dr Morris:
Buy Desmond Morris books via my Amazon affiliate link and I get some unicorn snot!
