Emlyn Square, in the GWR railway village, is the next port of call in our Swindon in 25 Streets journey. Well in actual fact it’s not – but I’m out of synch with my plan due to not being able to get to Local Studies for a while. It’ll all sort itself out in the book.
The Grade II listed Emlyn Square is the heart of the GWR Railway Village. In the foreground is central community centre – the erstwhile GWR Medical Fund Society Hospital. Beyond the car park and the trees sits the Grade II* listed Mechanics’ Institute. To its right, across the road, is the Glue Pot pub – a Swindon legend. To its left is the now refurbished Cricketers and beyond that is what was the Baker’s Arms and is now a community building known simply as The Bakers.
Photo credit: Jason Spickett Swindon from the Air
The years between 1842 and 1849 saw the erection of buildings on the west and east sides of an open space that lay at the centre of the developing, symmetrical railway village in New Swindon. A large rectangle of grass, this open space was planted with trees and railed off. The buildings adjacent to it were erected for the purpose of trade – indeed a high street was the original conception of the area and thus it took that name. 1855 saw some of this open space taken by the Mechanics’ Institute. It opened that year with the adjacent octagonal covered market coming soon after.
A smaller area, also railed off, formed on the north side of the MI building. Some eight new shops and public houses were established on either side of the MI and the market. But the most prominent building on Emlyn Square is of course the 1855 Mechanics’ Institute. Grade II* listed this building of staggering social importance is struggling for survival.
The Glue pot pub on Emlyn SquareThe Cricketers on Emlyn SquareThe Bakers on Emlyn SquareMural section on the boardings on the Mechanics’ InstitutionThe Mechanics’ Institute on Emlyn Square somewhat reminiscent of Sleeping Beauty’s bramble, bedecked bedchamber.
Ripe for expansion
Some Old Town businesses took the opportunity to open branches in the new high street so as to serve the railway families. Tibbetts the drapers being one such as we can see from this advert placed in the Swindon Advertiser.
Vintage advert for Tibbets drapers in the Swindon Advertiser of yesterday
And, according to this advert, not only could one buy stamps at the post office on this erstwhile High Street, one could have one’s teeth carefully extracted. Amongst many other offerings.
Vintage advert for Emlyn Square/High Street post office
The area of high street immediately to the south of the Mechanics’ Institute and the octagonal market gradually became the location for travelling vendors and livestock sales. And for a while it became known as Market Square, High Street.
A name change
This area of the railway village underwent a name change to Emlyn Square in 1901. The change came in recognition of Frederick Archibald Vaughn Campbell (1847-1911), Viscount Emlyn and later 4th Earl Cawdor – the chairman of the GWR board 1895-1905.
Swindon Heritage Preservation Trust now care for the railway cottage museum, central community centre, the Bakers and the Cricketers. The latter recently brought back into use after extensive refurbishment.
Pipp & Co Expands with new cafés in Bath and Bristol.
Award-winning artisan bakery Pipp & Co is continuing its expansion. They’re opening two new cafés in Bath and Bristol. Thus creating new jobs and bringing its handmade bakery products to more customers across the South West.
Best known for its range of artisan doughnuts, but offering a wide variety of sweet and savoury bakes, Swindon-based Pipp & Co first established its reputation through local farmers’ markets and pop-ups before moving into high-street retail.
Pipp & Co Expands – Mario and Betina Evamgelista
Location
The new cafés are located in the premises of former food outlets. Bath’s Pipp & Co will be in a central location on New Street. Meanwhile the new Bristol Pipp & Co will be in the more office-centric area of Redcliff Street. This complements the bakery’s existing café in Bristol’s College Green. The Bath outlet is due to open in August, with the Bristol Redcliff Street café opening planned for September.
Alongside its expanding café network, the business sells its products wholesale to:
Independent retailers
Farn shops
Corporate clients
As well as direct to customers via online ordering on its website and for collection from its Swindon production facility.
The new Bath and Bristol cafés, as well as the existing Bristol café, will feature an expanded product range designed for lunchtime visitors. It includes salads, sandwiches, toasties and panini all made fresh in-house. The range of drinks is also expanding to meet changing customer tastes, including ube and matcha drinks.
Customers will soon be able to pre-order online for collection, with local delivery also planned as part of the business’s continued growth.
Exciting next steps
Opening these two new cafés in Bath and Bristol is an exciting next step for us,’ said Betina Evangelista. Bettina owns and runs Pipp & Co alongside her husband, Mario.
‘We’re looking forward to welcoming customers to these new sites and becoming part of the local community. Our production capacity in Swindon means we can manage this expansion while ensuring the exact same small-batch quality and traditional craftsmanship that our customers expect. While also introducing our new in-house sandwich and salad options.’
Production for all bakery products for the new sites will continue at Pipp & Co’s central premises in Swindon. A family-run business, Pipp & Co has a strict policy of using no artificial ingredients, flavourings or additives. They source ingredients locally where possible. And bake the famous doughnuts using traditional methods, including a 48-hour fermentation process for the brioche dough. Pipp & Co was the 2025 Best Doughnut Award winner in PETA’s annual vegan food awards.
Future plans for Pipp & Co include opening more cafés in other locations. For more information about Pipp & Co, visit https://www.pipp.co/
Garden Party at Local Studios as Podpadstudios and Zozo Thomas invite visitors to dust off their picnic hampers and pack their rugs. The August Open Studios has a Garden Party theme!
Anna Enright from Podpadstudios said, ‘We’ll be showcasing three new guest artists:
wood carver David Boase
and painters Deepti Arora and …
…Carolyn Brown
Painting by Deepti AroraCarving by David BoaseWork by Carolyn Brown
Light refreshments are available. But we invite guests to bring their own picnics and join us for an afternoon of fun and creativity on Friday 21st August 2026 from 2-7pm. Croquet is optional!’
2-D: Painting with Deepti, Pastels with Carolyn
Local artist Deepti Arora will be exhibiting her vibrant paintings. She says ‘My work is playful, textured and deep-rooted in originality and sustainability. I work with acrylics, wooden hangings and mixed media. I’m best known for my signature use of pistachio shells. Each piece I create is one of a kind, shaped by my love of colour, nature, and storytelling. And influenced by my cultural heritage and lived experiences.’
Visitors will be able to have a go at pastel techniques with Carolyn Brown. This local artist’s main interests lie in the world around her, trying to capture the changing seasons. Her first love is pastel but she also works in watercolour and charcoal.
A brand new beautiful colourful piece of wall art by Komic will also be on display.
3-D: Meet the wood carver
David Boase will be bringing his latest carvings. He says, ‘I’ve spent the last couple of months reflecting on the circle. Carving nothing but circles in fact.’
Come along and see his beautifully simple and highly textural work. Meet the artist, find out all about his process, tools, and the joys of wood carving.
Zozo’s in the potting shed
Local author and illustrator Zozo Thomas, whose children’s activity books take inspiration from the scrumptious garden, will be in the potting shed with her books and crafts. Guests can indulge in some craft activities fit for a garden party: make a summer hat or a dried flower arrangement!
Podpadstudios – a scale of two dragons
Master Maker and Mrs Breaker, otherwise known as Mark and Anna Enright from Podpadstudios, will be displaying props and robots as usual. They’ll also be keeping an eye on the animatronic dragons, Stardust and Steel. Guests will be able to win a signed print of the dragons by answering the question ‘How many scales did it take to make the dragons?’
Garden Party at Local Studios – stardust and steel dragons
More details
If you’re at all interested in visual arts, why not come along, get inspired and meet some like minded people! The event is from 2-7pm on Friday, 21st August 2026, at 225 Whitworth Road, Swindon SN25 3BX.
Best Mates Riders Raise £20k ON 308-MILE CYCLE CHALLENGE TO BRUSSELS.
Eight cyclists have completed a 308-mile journey from London to Brussels. And they’ve raised almost £20,000 for Swindon welfare charity Best Mates in the process.
The four-day challenge was the charity’s second overseas fundraising ride. It follows 2024’s London to Paris cycle. Then 15 riders raised more than £30,000 to support Best Mates’ work helping people through life’s toughest moments.
This year, the team set off from London’s Hyde Park before cycling to Harwich. They covered eighty-eight miles before boarding the overnight ferry to the Hook of Holland. Day two took the riders through The Hague to Amsterdam. But then heavy rain and falling temperatures made day three’s journey to Breda via Gouda and Rotterdam the toughest of the challenge.
Best Mates Riders Raise £20k – the London to Brussels bike ride team
The last leg
The final leg took the cyclists into Belgium via Antwerp before reaching the finish line at Brussels’ famous Grand Place. Even an unexpected collision with a tourist, which saw one rider take a tumble hours before the finish, couldn’t stop the team completing the challenge together.
What made this year’s ride particularly special was that two people who’ve received support from Best Mates completed the challenge alongside the rest of the team. Thus giving fellow riders a first-hand insight into the charity’s impact.
Carl McCulloch, co-founder of Best Mates, said ‘Eight riders, three countries, 308 miles cycled and a little under £20,000 raised. All to support people who need it. It’s an amazing achievement by everybody involved, continuing to spread the word and support people through their most challenging times.
‘What made this challenge even more special was having Darren and Lee riding alongside us. They showed exactly why Best Mates exists. Nobody got left behind. Everyone looked out for one another and friendships formed that will last well beyond this ride.’
A sense of purpose
Darren said taking on the challenge gave him a renewed sense of purpose after receiving support from Best Mates over the past eighteen months.
‘I wanted to give something back to the charity that’s helped me over the last eighteen months. Training for the ride gave me a purpose and something positive to focus on.
‘Crossing the finish line was overwhelming. More than anything, it showed the other riders the difference their fundraising makes to people’s lives.’
Lee said ‘This ride meant so much because of the struggles I’ve been through. Best Mates supported me during one of the most difficult periods of my life. And taking on this challenge felt like the right way to give something back.
‘Crossing the finish line, seeing my family there and then turning around to see everyone hugging and crying is something I’ll never forget.’
The money raised will help Best Mates continue providing confidential, lived experience support to people facing life’s toughest moments. Because no one should face them alone.
Behind the scenes, support crew Paul Howlett, Karen Howlett and Andy Hughes ensured the challenge ran in a same and smooth manner. They gave up their time to support the riders throughout the four-day event following months of planning and preparation.
Carl added ‘Every person who took part, donated, supported or gave up their time made this challenge possible. The riders may have crossed the finish line in Brussels. But the money they’ve raised will continue changing lives long after the bikes get put away. We’re so proud of every single person who played a part.’
To find out more about Best Mates or to support the charity’s work, visit https://bestmates.org/
Affordable Summer Entertainment at the Brunel centre, Swindon.
With the school summer holidays in full swing, The Brunel Swindon has unveiled ten exciting ways for parents to keep children entertained under one roof.
From free creative craft sessions to arcade gaming, Swindon’s popular shopping centre offers a complete mix of budget-friendly events, dining and play for all ages.
Laid on for the summer holidays, The Brunel Swindon is running creative ‘Wonderful Wednesdays’. Every Wednesday up to and including August 26, there are free activities for children between 10am and 4pm, downstairs near Boots. Each session has a different theme. They’re hosted by organisations such as:
Affordable Summer Entertainment at the Brunel centre Swindon
What’s on offer
Well all for free is the Brunel’s Summer Rainbow Trail. Collect a map from the Card Factory and follow the clues around the centre. Once finished, pop your completed map back for a small treat.
Then, for active entertainment, High Score Arcades is running One Final Play sessions. There’s a Monday special offer where families can upgrade a sixty-minute pass to ninety minutes and enjoy classic and modern games.
When it’s time to take a break, families can refuel at The Crossing food hub. It includes:
a new kids’ menu at Chopstix
kids’ meals at Broccoli Pizza & Pasta
and, of course, in Canal Walk there’s always a McDonald’s Happy Meal.
Books and more!
For book lovers, Swindon Story Shed – open Wednesday to Sunday during the summer holidays – has free preloved books available. And it runs creative workshops to keep the little ones entertained.
There’s a huge range of affordable games, books, and activities from The Works. And there are hundreds of pocket-money-priced treats at The Entertainer. For fans of comic books and graphic novels, look no further than The Incredible Comic Shop, upstairs at The Brunel. For fifteen years it’s been supplying a huge range of comics to enthusiasts in Swindon and the wider area.
Swindon & Wiltshire Pride Hub, also upstairs at The Brunel, runs community workshops, some free and some asking for a £2 donation. On August 15, the Pride Festival takes place. It starts with the traditional march from the town centre to the GWR Park, for a family-friendly afternoon of food, stalls, and live entertainment.
The Brunel’s monthly Makers’ Market is on August 22, showcasing fantastic products made by local crafters.
And finally, when it’s time to start preparing for back-to-school, why not take the kids for a haircut at The Cutting Bar? Prices start from £11.50 per child, and no appointment needed – just walk in!
‘We know how challenging it can be for parents to keep children entertained over the long summer break, especially while managing family budgets,’ said a spokesperson for The Brunel Swindon. ‘Our summer line-up combines completely free creative events like Wonderful Wednesdays with comfortable dining and entertainment spaces. So families can spend quality time together right in the heart of Swindon.’
As Swindon’s primary covered shopping venue – complete with an adjoining multi-storey car park and direct links to public transport – The Brunel provides a convenient, stress-free family destination regardless of the weather.
