5 Swindon Books to Read Now – and yes two of them are mine … to pass pandemic purdah time
So, we’re in the grip of the Coronavirus pandemic and at best are faced with a prolonged period of social distancing. Or at worst, lockdown, as we have at the time of reading.
So here’s five of the MANY Swindon books out there, fiction and non-fiction, written by Swindonians, with which to pass some fruitful time. Well, in fact, the title’s a bit of a cheat. Cos it’s four books and a DVD!
If you haven’t got them on your bookshelves now (and you might but not have read them) then head to the shop in Swindon central library as soon as you can. That said, some of the books included are available on mail order.
So – in no particular order:
1. A Swindon Wordsmith – George Ewart Hobbs
By Noel Ponting & Graham Carter
‘George Ewart Hobbs’ vivid writing provides us with a unique and brilliantly observed insight into everyday and so-called “ordinary” life in Swindon a century ago.
When we’re not on lockdown you can find Secret Swindon in our central library and Waterstones in Swindon. I have some copies, so if interested contact me on my Born Again Swindonian Facebook page – link below – or via this blog.
There’s a map in the front of this one. The buildings are divided into areas. So, maintaining social distance of course, you could always go exploring with book in hand.
‘As the industrial revolution and the coming of the railways transformed the Wiltshire countryside Swindon women were on the front line of change, shaping the new industrial town and transforming the old market one.’
It’s a great read is this one.
5. Railway Town: Martin Parry
Okay – so this isn’t a book it’s a DVD. I bet some of you have got DVD players gathering dust. Dig them out!
Well listeners. This Swindon in 50 Drinks post No 10: Arkell’s Ales, is something of a milestone. Not because it’s the 10th post in the series. Oh no. Rather, it’s because today is the day after our current Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, put the country into a condition that is lockdown in all but name. The reason for that being the pandemic Covid-19 – also known as the coronavirus.
It’s all rather frightening TBH. And of course it’s curtailed my plans to progress this series of the blog – for obvious reasons. But – I happened to have a couple of bottles of Arkell’s in my store. Thus this post – the last for a while.
Me on YouTube with a rather unfortunate stop point!:
About Arkell’s Brewery
If you’ve got a copy of Swindon in 50 Buildingsyou’ll be familiar with Arkell’s. If you haven’t got a copy – why not? I have some – get in touch. 🙂
The Arkell’s website’s history page has an informative timeline of their history – it’s well worth a look – and a detailed history.
Here’s a small extract:
‘John Arkell was a remarkable man. Born into a farming family in 1802 in Kempsford, South Gloucestershire, he emigrated to the New World in his late twenties and took with him a group of local people who sought a refuge from the tough conditions endured by agricultural folk at that time. It was a brave step.
They arrived in Canada and established the small community of Arkell – which still exists today – but three years later, John returned for love. His fiancée preferred to live in England so he came home to marry and set up home in Stratton St Margaret, near Swindon, where he grew barley on his farm.’
The step from there to brewing beer was an obvious one. At that time, many pubs and even private homes, brewed beer. But John Arkell’s foresight saw the potential for supplying beer to a string of other pubs along with his own, recently-bought Kingsdown pubs.
With immaculate timing, he picked a moment when Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Swindon’s founding father, chose Swindon to site his GWR Works. Thus the once-sleepy market town was already growing into a thriving – and thirsty – industrial heartland.
The Beers – No 10: Arkell’s Ales
It’s clear that Arkell’s have a rather large selection of beer – and I only have two of them. The two that you see in the picture below.
‘Since its release in 2013 to celebrate our 170th anniversary, our lager, 1843 Craft Lager, has become one of our most popular, award-winning brands.
This is a classic ‘craft’ lager brewed using pale malt with some wheat added for extra body and mouth feel and traditional lager hops. It is gradually fermented at a much lower temperature and matured for 3 weeks in tank at an even lower temperature to produce a pleasant, light, refreshing beer.
This year as part of our 175th anniversary and after consulting some of our loyal drinkers we have decided to update its name to Malthouse Craft Lager, named after the old Malthouse that was built here at the brewery by our founder John Arkell in 1877.’
And that’s it for now, for #swindonin50rinks See you on the other side I hope!
I’ve no idea how much public art other towns have but it seems to me that Swindon has an astonishing amount.
‘When I began blogging about Swindon, the public art was one of the first things I turned my keyboard to. Not that I even knew the term then. Back in the corner of Derbyshire I left behind, the closest I got to it was an ancient village pump, a cenotaph and a redundant and rusting pit-winding wheel. Hence, discovering all the public art in Swindon was quite the revelation. It’s not possible to write about all of it here but, if you’re so inclined, Born Again Swindonian contains oodles of posts about Swindon’s public art – in particular the West Swindon sculpture trail.‘
Thamesdown Borough Council commissioned the pieces that comprise the West Swindon sculpture trail in the period from the early 1980s to the early 1990s. Funding came, in part, from the housing developer’s contributions to the Percent-for-Art public realm scheme.
My Sculpture Favourites
Within this blog I’ve written about much if Swindon’s sculpture and outdoor art installations. Thus there’s no point in my going over it all in this overview post. You should find it all in this section of the blog. But I will give special mention to a couple of my faves.
And one of my very favourite pieces is The Blondinis. Such a shame that they’re now languishing in a park in Gorse Hill. I still miss them.
Part of the West Swindon Sculpture Walk this one is located on one of the many superb big green spaces that West Swindon features, it’s quite easy to forget that one is in the middle of a big conurbation. It needs little imagination to see the artist’s intention for the sculpture as a relic of a long gone civilization.
FESTIVAL & CORONAVIRUS . . . . SPRING FESTIVAL UPDATE
Swindon Spring Festival update. Organisers of the Swindon Spring Festival take seriously the present Coronavirus situation and their responsibilities to festival followers. And, of course, the public at large, and the importance of heeding Government advice.
In the light of all this, plans for the Festival are proceeding as follows:
We’ll launch the Festival programme, in hardcopy and on our website as planned at midday on Thursday 26th March. But not, as intended, in a theatre, indoors, with food, drink, lots of Festival followers crowded together, and even hugging and kissing one another. No, absolutely not.
Instead, hot off the press, we’ll launch this year’s Festival programme in the open air, in a field, with a backdrop of birch tree and birdsong, at Lower Shaw Farm.
Festival banners will mark the spot. From there, for two hours, from 12midday to 2pm on Thursday 26th March, you can get a programme, or even a bundle to share with neighbours and friends, from a table in the middle of a field, far from the madding crowd.
Come one by one, or two by two, keeping far apart, as you like, making the right decisions for your own wellbeing and that of all others.
That way you can get a festival programme and read about more than twenty books and their authors who are or were due to appear live at the Festival in May.
Live appearances? Probably not?
The likelihood that many of the programmed visitors may now not appear live is a real one. Yet, there are other ways of enjoying the fruits of their labours and those of the festival organisers. As this Swindon spring festival update explains.
Festival followers: buy or borrow books described in the programme and read them. In particular if you’re in enforced isolation. What better companion, to lift the spirits, than a good book?!
And, in these tricky and troubling times, there is still more good news from the festival.
Watch the Festival website, Facebook, and twitter accounts for details of these virtual Festival events as they emerge.
Last but by no means least, the most exciting news, is that on 5th May, the Festival will launch and mark the publication, by a prizewinning author, of a brand new book titled A Saint in Swindon!
It’s brilliant, topical, wise, entertaining, serious, funny, set in Swindon, and a fabulously-good read.
Aspirations of Swindon children to be displayed on poster billboard
A billboard opportunity from a mortgage company is aimed at getting Swindon’s schoolchildren to Dream Big about their future homes and careers. The campaign will display their hopes and dreams on a poster billboard.
The family-friendly business, based on both Commercial Rd and Old Town, wants parents to submit their children’s aspirations online.
William Dobbin as a footballer in front of his dream home
They’ll choose six children from all the entries to front the campaign, showing a cross-section of childhood ambition.
Photoshoot
A photoshoot will dress them for their dream job, with their dream home as a backdrop.
Those selected will tower above their friends from a three-metre tall billboard on Old Town’s Newport Street. Also, the campaign organisers will arrange for the children to spend an ‘experience’ day in their dream job. That way they can learn more about the career they want to persue.
How the billboard will look – Billboard Opportunity from Mortgage Company
David Dobbin, MD of South-West Mortgages explained: I’ve got two sons and their aspirations change as the world around them influences them. I want to showcase the great stories of some of Swindon’s children to inspire their peers to dream big.
Swindon attracted the graduate David, in 1998, by its abundance of well-paid work and affordable housing.
He gained industry experience with Portman Building Society then Legal & General, Zurich and other financial services powerhouses. He went on to establish South-West Mortgages 19 years ago. The company’s ethos is to offer house-hunters and homeowners renewing their mortgage, better access to help and advice. Thus, helping adults to fulfil their own home-life and career ambitions.
The plentiful supply of good jobs and affordable housing remain a big draw for young professionals. Compared to Bristol, Bath and Oxford, Swindon benefits from a good mix of housing stock. There’s new-builds and conversion apartments to historic railway terraces and smart townhouses. And post-war semis with good sized gardens are also a draw for young professionals.
Switch on to Swindon
Recent research commissioned by Nationwide Building Society for the place marketing board, Switch on to Swindon, found Swindon a big draw for aspirational homeowners. They’re attracted to a lively town surrounded by beautiful countryside and within easy reach of London and the South-West.
