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.’
Eggciting Easter Customs make Easter Cracking Easter, like any other, is a festival synonymous with many symbols and customs.
It’s a mish-mash of the resurrection of Christ, chocolate eggs, painted hard-boiled eggs, Maundy money and a rabbit all rolled into one. So a festival as muddled as any other on the British and global calendar then. And it’s a moveable feast at that.
So let’s get the latter point out of the way.
Calculating when Easter Day/Easter Sunday will fall
For Christians, the actual point of Easter Sunday is not eating your bodyweight in chocolate eggs but celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. But why does it change every year? I won’t lie, I’m always confused by this.
Time and Date.comtells us that: ‘According to the Bible, Jesus’ death and resurrection occurred around the time of the Jewish Passover – celebrated on the first full moon following the vernal equinox.’ By the end of the 2nd century there were some churches celebrating Easter on the day of the Passover and others celebrating it on the following Sunday. Not all that helpful.
So, in 325CE (common era) the council of Nicaea (now known as Turkey) established that Easter would be held on the first Sunday after the first full moon occurring on or after the vernal equinox. And so, from that day to this, the date of Easter depends on an ecclesiastical approximation of March 21 for the vernal equinox. Hence there’s a 35-day span for celebrating a one-time event. If that’s still as clear as mud and it is a long and complex tale, try this article from Christianity Today.
So that’s the reason for the season and the confusion over the timing dealt with. Now to crack open a few other Easter traditions and aspects – starting with the name: Easter.
What’s in a name?
Similarly to the modern Dutch ooster and the German Ostern, Easter came from an Old English word: Eastrun. Or Estru. Or Estre and Eostre. Take your pick.
There’s an accepted theory that it’s derived from the name of a goddess mentioned by Bede, the 7th-8th century English monk. But it is only a theory. Chances are this was mere speculation on Bede’s part because there’s no firm evidence of such a goddess existing.
Maundy Thursday: Show me da money
Maundy Thursday is the Thursday before Good Friday – the day that Christ died on the cross. Or did he? This article from the Huffington Post with the snappy title ‘The Day Christ Died – was it on a Thursday or a Friday?’argues otherwise.
An aside: Good Friday – doesn’t this seem an odd name for a day that someone was crucified on? The chances are it was once ‘God’s Friday’ or even Holy Friday. Makes sense huh?
Be that as it may, Christians remember Maundy Thursday as the day of the Last Supper. It was then that Jesus washed the feet of his disciples and established the ceremony known as the Eucharist.
The word ‘Maundy’ has its origins in the French word, “Mande,” meaning “command” or “mandate”. It’s taken from the command given by Christ at the Last Supper, “love one another as I have loved you.”
In Britain, the Queen takes part in the Ceremony of the Royal Maundy. Something that dates back to Edward I. And this is where the money comes in. Well now it does. Once upon a time our monarchs did the foot bath thing but now avoid that and simply dole out purses. Can you blame them? Not me.
Maundy Money is distributed to deserving senior citizens – one man and one woman for each year of the sovereign’s age. They’re usually chosen for service to their community. They’re given two ceremonial stringed purses: one white and one red. The white one contains your normal British currency and the red one contains Maundy coins. Minted for the occasion, the amount given corresponds in pence either to the Queen’s current age or her length of time on the throne. There’s conflicting information on this. In either event, the longer the reign or the older the monarch – the bigger the booty.
Palm Sunday
Before moving on to the non-Christian elements of Easter a quick mention of Palm Sunday. It would be rude not to after all. Easter week begins on Palm Sunday. Why Palm Sunday? Well because, in Roman times it was the custom to welcome royalty by waving palms. A bit like ticker-tape if you like. Hence, when Jesus pitched up in Jerusalem on what’s now known as Palm Sunday, he arrived to a carpet of palms on the streets and people waving them.
The Eggcellent part of the Easter festival
Easter eggs were not always made of chocolate. They were once actual eggs. Specially decorated they were given out to celebrate the Easter festival.
It’s alleged that this custom began in Mesopotamia where they stained eggs red to commemorate the blood of Christ and the crucifixion. When cracked open they symbolized the empty tomb.
Though note that eggs have been used as symbols long before Jesus was on the scene. So I guess then they were simply…. eggs?
The Easter Bunny
It’s an odd one this – given that the Easter Bunny might actually be a hare. Yup – that long-eared bundle of fluff associated with being jugged is your actual deliverer of the Easter eggs. Still I imagine that, as a symbol of fertility, the hare is as suitable as the rabbit as a fertility symbol being a prolific breeder itself.
It’s possible that the bunny as an Easter symbol originated in Germany. Mentioned in German writings in the 16th century, the hare was an alleged companion of the ancient Moon goddess and of Eostre. Yes, the one who probably never existed. Not even as a ‘mythical’ goddess. I’m detecting a theme here.
Put on your Easter Bonnet
There was a time when Easter was a traditional day to tie the knot. Which may explain why it’s common to dress up for Easter in one’s best bib and tucker. Thus the Easter bonnet, any new or fancy hat worn at Easter, likely stems from the tradition of wearing new clothes at Easter. And most folk of a certain age have got the term and the notion ‘Easter Bonnet’ fixed in their collective consciousness by Irving Berlin using the American Easter Parade as his frame of reference.
Get your buns out
I refer of course to Hot Cross Buns. Traditionally eaten on Good Friday, a hot cross bun is a sweet, spiced bun made with currants or raisins and marked with a cross on the top. For reasons that ought to be obvious by now. Or, if you prefer an Easter biscuit, Health4All have a recipe for Easter biscuits that counts cassia oil as an ingredient. Cassia being significant here because it’s probable it was used in embalming Christ’s body.
Of course, if you’re making biscuits then a biscuit cutter could come in handy. SED Developments have biscuit/cookie cutters in all manner of designs. This is their website: https://sed-developments.co.uk/home/designs/
And on the topic of baked goods, the simnel cake is now the traditional way of breaking the Lenten fast. Yet, did you know that the simnel cake was once associated with Mothering Sunday?
The obscure and the odd
Of course, Britain wouldn’t be Britain without a smattering of weird and wonderful Easter traditions mixed into the festival.
So aside from dying, or painting and exchanging eggs, or hiding them for an egg hunt, there’s rolling hard-boiled eggs down hills. Why? I mean – why?! But it gets wackier.
This BBC America article cites 5 surprising Easter traditions. Maundy Thursday we’ve covered but Bottle Kicking, Egg Jarping and the Britannia Coconutter’s Dance are new to me. And if you don’t believe me – here’s the proof:
