My recent post about the Richard Jefferiesmuseum at Coate, Swindon has prompted a reader of this blog to share with us his memories of his secondary school which was named after the eponymous writer.
The school is no longer with us – it was demolished to make way for New College. But of course the memories live on in former pupils like Lee.
I have truly enjoyed reading Lee’s memories which are funny, moving and bittersweet – as I guess most of our school memories are. And Mrs Howard – I’d like to shake you by the hand. If only ALL children, from every background, could have a Mrs Howard! She clearly left a lasting and positive impression on Lee.
The Richard Jefferies’ school – a personal memory
“The Richard Jefferies Secondary School is no longer with us – sadly demolished a few years back now to make way for the New College and housing estate close by. I would love to be able to tell you who named the school after the great writer of Coate but alas I cannot. I was at the school from around 1969/73.
At the time Swindon was a boom town for kids, with the London generation mainly squeezing in to schools like Richard Jefferies, the nearby Walcott Secondary School and also Churchfields. It’s amazing to think that three very big schools were in spitting distance of each other.
I remember very well my first day at the school – I was the only boy wearing shorts and got some terrible stick for that. I remember too, Mr Adams the maths teacher, Mr Summers the PE teacher, Mr Petit in science and, my favourite teacher by miles, the English teacher Mrs Howard. She saw my interest in poetry and writing. And though at the time I didn’t realize it, she tried hard to convince me that I should embrace this.
I was in Council care as a kid – fostered for many years. Ultimately I lived out my young days in The Limes Childrens’ Home, so I wasn’t the happiest kid to teach. But Mrs Howard did her best to make me feel special. The class was astonished to hear that I’d been picked to play the King in King Canute in the school play. She did her best to get me to hold back the tide with conviction but to no avail…I was terrible and she replaced me with another child.
School dinners
I vividly remember the school dinners. Was I the only one to fall in love with them? Who can remember the vivid taste of the school dinner salad cream, like a sweet battery acid?
Amazingly the school had a fair size swimming pool where I got bullied into learning to swim. I doggy paddled my way to red, yellow and green badges that were sewn onto my trunks.
Many of the kids around me were fairly rough and tough and from the Parks area. You had to hold your own with them. I remember the football with a tennis ball at break time. My moment of glory arrived one dinner time when Ant Adams crossed the ball for me to bullet a header in the goal. All my team pounced upon me in joyous celebration. It’s a moment I still remember and cherish.
Most of the school went to Park/Oakfield school for their last phase of education on leaving Richard Jefferies. For me it was onto Headlands School because the Limes Home where I lived was/is in Stratton.
So what would the great man have thought of the school named after him? That is anyone’s guess.
Reading George Orwell’s Animal Farm in English was the first inkling that the world was a strange place through an adults eye. That book was both weird and wonderful to me.
So for me, Richard Jefferies taught me more about myself than it taught me educationally. Many Swindonians passed through the door of this school and there must be a story to tell by every one of them.”
John Richard Jefferies (1848-1887): is best known for his prolific and sensitive writing on natural history, rural life and agriculture in late Victorian England. But, a closer examination of his career reveals a many-sided, enigmatic author.
For much of his adult life, he suffered from tuberculosis, and his struggles with the illness and with poverty also play a role in his writing. Jefferies valued and cultivated an intensity of feeling in his experience of the world around him, a cultivation that he describes in detail in The Story of My Heart (1883).
This work, an introspective depiction of his thoughts and feelings on the world, gained him the reputation of a nature mystic at the time. But it’s his success in conveying his awareness of nature and people within it, both in his fiction and in essay collections such as The Amateur Poacher(1879) and Round About a Great Estate (1880), that has drawn most admirers.
Walter Besant wrote of his reaction on first reading Jefferies:
“Why, we must have been blind all our lives; here were the most wonderful things possible going on under our very noses, but we saw them not.”
The Richard Jefferies Society
Much of the above comes from the website of the Richard Jefferies society. Founded in 1950, they describe the man as an authority on agriculture and rural life. They go on say that, though Jefferies was best known for his nature writing he was also an essayist, novelist and mystic.
‘Will Self, Monty Don, Tony Robinson, Jeff VanderMeer and the National Trust nature specialist, Matthew Oates. A disparate collection of people. Yet there’s a common connecting thread between them all. How so? Because they all confess to a love of, and respect for, Jefferies’ writings.
If I now hear ‘Richard who?’, I’m not surprised. It’s fair to say his fame is somewhat greater in Surbiton, whose library celebrates him with a wooden plaque, than Swindon. Yet those who know Jefferies’ writings find inspiration in him. Forgotten by most he may be – but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t good and isn’t worthy of our appreciation. Indeed, gardener and broadcaster Monty Don describes him as a great laureate of the English countryside, one not heralded nearly enough. Something to ponder on when next you’re mulching the rose beds. Not that it was always the case in Swindon – there used to be memorial days to him.’
As a youth, Jefferies spent much time walking the countryside around Coate and along the Marlborough Downs. He also often visited Burderop woods and Liddington Hill – near his home. The latter his favourite haunt. That location was beloved too by Alfred Williams.
The Richard Jefferies Museum
Jefferies came into the world at the farmhouse by Coate Water that is now the Richard Jefferies museum. Back then the farmhouse sat in the north Wiltshire countryside, on the outskirts of Swindon. There his family farmed a forty-acre smallholding.
Located at Coate between the Swindon to Marlborough road and Coate Water Country Park, the Richard Jefferies Museum and garden is a tranquil delight. The mulberry tree that Jefferies knew as a boy still stands and still bears fruit that sometimes gets turned into jam.
Mike Pringle and the team running the museum have wrought wonders with it – increasing visitor numbers by a dramatic amount. Sitting there on a sunny, summer Sunday afternoon with a scone and a cuppa is a most agreeable way to pass the time. In particular when, as is often the case, there’s a musician of some sort performing.
I’ve always rather liked the Spectrum building or the Renault building as it tends to be referred to, even though the car company moved out of it some years ago.
I didn’t though know very much about it until recently. Whilst I did know that it had been used in a Bond film – ‘A view to a Kill’ in 1984 – I didn’t know that it was designed by none other than Sir Norman Foster, internationally renowned architect. I also was ignorant of the fact that the design won a number of awards including the prestigious Financial Times ‘Architecture at Work’ Award in 1984.
Famous for his steel and glass designs, Lord Foster created the Gherkin and Millennium Bridge in London, rebuilt Berlin’s Reichstag and also Hong Kong Airport, so our building is in illustrious company.
Being such an iconic building it’s unsurprising that there’s reams of writing about it on the internet. But as ever our very own Swindon Web has an informative article about it. From there I learned that: ‘this was not Sir Norman’s first Swindon FT winning design. He won the same award for his design of the Reliance Controls Electronics Factory, Greenbridge, Swindon in 1967. The building was unfortunately demolished in 1991 to make way for PC World.’ I know I’ve said I don’t want to use this blog as a place to rant and rave but seriously – what?!Why would someone do that? So it’s great to hear this week that the Renault/Spectrum building has now been given Grade II listed status by English Heritage in what it describes as a move to ‘protect post-war’ architecture.
Swindon Link Centre and the David Murray John Tower
The Link centre, West Swindon
I confess I also rather like The Link Centre building at West Swindon and the David Murray John building, also known as the Brunel Tower, in the town centre. It stands like a giant exclamation mark on the Swindon skyline – it’s fab.
I once had the opportunity to go to the top of that particular building and it was really quite a revelation – one could clearly see the route the canal would have taken for a start. It was all quite fascinating.
“Designed by Douglas Stephen and built in the Seventies, this tower is a sleek, slick return to the smooth white grace of Twenties and Thirties Modernism. It’s a mixed-use building, incorporating social housing, offices and retail, which is rare in Britain. Stephen was a communist and believed in architecture as a power for social good.”Meades’ list includes Marseille Cathedral and Stewart’s Melville College in Edinburgh so our building is held in esteem with some exalted company.
And of course the website of the architect himself and his company has some amazing photographs and an absolute wealth of information about the building. It is a stunning construction.
10 things to celebrate about Swindon – No 10: Multicultural Swindon – much to be proud of
17th September 2013
Well dear readers, here we are with the last in my series of 10 things I think are worth celebrating about Swindon. In this one: multicultural Swindon.
It’s not by any means a definitive list. Merely 10 things that have made an impression on me. Any one of you out there could make a completely different and equally valid list. The point being, and as Brian so eruditely points out in his post, Swindon and Swindonians, have so much about which they should be proud.
It’s an odd thing …
It’s an odd thing, life. I had fully intended to round off my list with something about Swindon’s multicultural population and the Mela – I’m sure I’ve read somewhere that Swindon is an official microcosm of the whole country because any ethnic group you care to mention can be found here. But, whilst I knew that Brian was writing me a guest post I had no idea of the subject matter. I like it that way, I enjoy the surprise.
I could get all Forrest Gump here, except that you do know what’s in a box of chocolates cos there’s a ‘menu’ telling you – I always thought that was a rubbish analogy. So, to drag myself back to the point, unbeknownst to me Brian wrote his piece on that very subject, hence it earns a place as No 10 in things to celebrate about Swindon. I feel there should be some sort of trumpet fanfare at this point …. instead, and without any further ado here’s a brief introduction to Brian Carter, the author of this lovely guest post which I hope you will enjoy as much as I have.
Brian Carter
‘Brian Carter was born in Swindon in 1961. Raised in Upper Stratton, Brian has lived all his life in Stratton or Swindon.
He’s traced his family tree back at least eight generations and discovered that a large proportion of his ancestors were also born in and around the town.
Dozens of them (including his father and both his grandfathers) worked for the Great Western Railway and/or British Railways in Swindon.
“Swindon is an easy target for lazy comedians and miserable people who would have you believe that it’s a bland concrete jungle inhabited by soulless people – a town devoid of culture, heritage or human values. We hear such views so often that we could be forgiven if we started to believe them. But when a ‘foreigner’ from ‘up north’ creates a blog intent on extolling its virtues, we’re thankfully brought back to our senses.
Born Again Swindonian doesn’t wait for the inevitable negativity and counter with a reply. Instead, it shouts its positivity and affection for Swindon from the rooftops.
In 1997 I created SwindonWeb with the same attitude. And although I passed on the baton several years ago, I’m happy and proud to report that SwindonWeb has never broken the golden rule set down at its inception: that it would always be 100% positive about Swindon.
A Swindon fault-line
Ironically, if Swindon has a fault, then it is that it doesn’t ‘blow its own trumpet’ often enough. For example, consider the Great Western Railway (GWR). Unless they’re blinded by their own local loyalties, most railway enthusiasts acknowledge the GWR as the jewel in the crown of Britain’s great pioneering railway heritage.
And Swindon was, of course, the beating heart of ‘God’s Wonderful Railway’. But Swindon often seems strangely embarrassed of even that. Few other towns would be so reticent in claiming its part in such excellence. Maybe oily, smoky, noisy steam locomotives (however beautiful) just aren’t cool in these modern times. Or perhaps Swindonians are just reluctant to hark back to the past.
Aside from its wonderful railway history, there are many rich and diverse aspects to Swindon’s past.
Swindon is at last beginning to show pride in its past, but is it also concentrating on promoting its present? Well, not really. There’s still much work to do before Swindon overcomes this flaw in its character. It still needs some convincing that it really does have much to be proud of. A perfect example of something which Swindon excels at, but doesn’t give itself credit for – is its unswerving embracing of multiculturalism. It is an admirable quality, but taken for granted here. As discussed in recent editions of Swindon Heritage magazine, its positive attitude to diversity is something which Swindon has developed over the years.
A Town Transformed
In the 1840s, Swindon was transformed from a small agricultural town to a large industrial one. This happened at a rapid (almost brutal) pace. Several waves of influxes of workers from Wales, the Midlands and elsewhere brought with them subtle religious and cultural variations. But Swindon quickly accepted those differences – adopting the attitude that they enriched, rather than diluted, the town’s character. The relocation of Londoners to our town after the Second World War met with no difficulties. And many Irish, Italian and Polish people happily settled here in the post-war years. More recently, Asian influences have added yet more colour to Swindon life. It seems entirely appropriate that Swindon has associations with not one but three twin towns. Our connection with Torun has reinforced the link with Poland, and there’s an unlikely but welcome connection with Ocotal in Nicaragua.
Mural in Swindon Link Centre celebrating the town’s twinning with Octotal.
Any animosity towards the German people following the Second World War washed away with a pioneering connection with the town of Salzgitter.
And I have personal reasons for being thankful that the people of our two towns have developed a strong and lasting friendship. Swindon’s multiculturalism knows no bounds.
Diversity
In the past and in the present, the human race has struggled with diversity. Evil-minded politicians concentrate on the differences between people in order to alienate, persecute and exploit them. Swindonians see things very differently. And, if you wanted an example of how, you need look no further than the Swindon Mela. They have Melas in other places, of course. It’s part of the Asian character to celebrate its culture and heritage, and so other towns and cities with Asian communities have similar events to the one which took place in Swindon last weekend. But there’s something especially endearing about Swindon’s Mela: it has been so totally and enthusiastically embraced by the non-Asian people of Swindon.
Consider this
It’s a remarkable thing, which is worth considering for a moment. Thousands of people turn up for this annual event. They have an incredibly wide-ranging mix of cultures and beliefs, and yet there isn’t the slightest hint of racial, cultural or religious tension. Far from it. The people of Swindon (from all backgrounds) attend the Mela because they’re interested.And because they appreciate the differences between each other.
Swindonians really do celebrate diversity. And this gives Swindon Mela a wonderful, happy, peaceful atmosphere. And yet it almost didn’t happen this year. Swindon Borough Council, mystifyingly felt the need to try to prevent it taking place. There was some ironic talk that this definitive community event had become ‘too successful’. But the people of Swindon were having none of it.
Public outcry forced the Council to back-track and, thankfully, saved the Mela. Maybe that little hiccup will prove to be a good thing in the long run. Surely no one will dare mess with the Swindon Mela again?
Modern Swindon has much to be proud of, but its tolerance, understanding and acceptance of other people are some of the things of which it should be most proud.
Swindonians might sometimes be a ‘bit backward in coming forward’. Yet there’s plenty of evidence to suggest that, deep down, they’re really just nice people.”
Swindon Web has a lovely report with masses of fab photos of the 2013 Mela.
It’s something of a cheat putting David Bent artist into this list of ten things to celebrate about Swindon. Not because he doesn’t warrant inclusion – good gracious me no. Nothing could be further from the truth. No, no. What I mean by it being a bit of sleight of hand is that, when I set up this blog and created the aforementioned celebratory list a few years ago now, David wasn’t on it. Why not? Well because I didn’t know him and hadn’t heard of him back then.
During the last few weeks I’ve engaged myself in some blog housekeeping – I can’t say the same for my actual house – that sadly lacks housekeeping. But I digress. While doing said housekeeping I decided to rejig my Swindon top ten to include David. And that gave me the perfect chance to share this lovely article from the RoyalAero Society: Capturing the Art of Flight which tells all about David as well as I can. And I’m a big fan of not reinventing the wheel.
‘His original paintings include striking geometric shapes, bold colours and the fusing of aspects of the human and machine in lots of interesting and clever ways.
Iconic shapes of classic aircraft are reused and repurposed to create patterns, or even produce landscapes themselves.
In the photograph above, David stands with a work called ‘Circus’. The author of the article talks about that same work and the double meanings ever-present in David’s art: the more you look the more you see.
‘A number of the paintings also have a double or hidden meaning within. Some challenge. David frames the twin images of an MQ-9B Reaper UAV with a series of black boxes. This suggests that the sinister drone is watching (or being watched) by someone in a traditional Middle East hajib.
In another example, he depicts the Red Arrows under a circus big top tent. A clear play on ‘the circus’ of blue-suited ground-crew that keep the aircraft aloft and the team flying. Look closer and you can also see the Dye Team, responsible for the Hawk’s coloured smoke. David’s painting celebrates everyone’s contribution and teamwork. In another painting, featuring Spitfires, the artist’s humour appears as he places himself in a tiny Johnny Red-style comic strip detail running from the aircraft.’
So much more than aviation art
It’s arguable that David is best known for his aviation art. Indeed he’s done much to advance the genre. But of course he does so much more. One of my very favourite pieces – well in fact a series of pieces – is Movement 2000:
Over the years, Swindon has produced an astonishing amount of artists of all kinds – and still does. An astonishment I gave voice to in Secret Swindon (published in 2018).
Some of these artists are Swindon born. Others are Born Again Swindonians like me. Either way – there’s so much wonderful artistic output that’s ‘Made in Swindon’. How wonderful is that?
Being a fan of much of David’s work, I love that I can include him in my own, personal, and not-definitive by any means, 10 Things to Celebrate About Swindon.
