Freshbrook Way West Swindon. Although I’m numbering these articles, I’m not writing them in the order that they’ll appear in the Swindon in 25 Streets book – when I get that far. Anyway, as the title suggests, in this one I’m looking at Freshbrook Way in West Swindon.
Today, Freshbrook Way is an average, run-of-the-mill, middle-of-the-road … road. It sits in Toothill, as part of the suburban western expansion area.
Yet, it’s worthy of mention here in Swindon in 25 Streets because of what it once was. And what this road once was, was the main, indeed the only, route from Swindon to the west country. Traffic heading for Chippenham, Bath or Bristol had to use this road, then designated the A420.
And thus it remained until the 1970s. Then the *western expansion developed scantily populated farmland to the west of Swindon, into Freshbrook and Toothill (in the first instance), providing thousands of homes for the expanding population.
*Should you wish to learn more about the western expansion then go to Local Studies in the central library and ask to see The Silver Book. It will reveal all.
That development plan included the construction of a new relief road (though not called that) to the south, the A3102, that wears the mantle of the ubiquitous suburban thoroughfare servicing the residents of Toothill and Freshbrook. It roughly follows, and covers in places, the original Swindon to Bristol road.
The image below shows the before and after of the area. Look at reference 443 on the old map and you’ll see two dwellings indicated in pink surrounded by fields. On the aerial view you’ll see how they’re engulfed by the 1970s development.
Freshbrook Way West Swindon. Image shows a section of an old map side-by-side an aerial view of the same area today.
Farmworker’s cottages
No doubt the aforementioned dwellings once were farmworker’s cottages. Indeed, there are a couple of similar ones on the edge of Grange Park/Lydiard Park. I’m not sure when they were built – though these two are present on the 1841 census. Then, as Local Studies tell me, there’s a newspaper mention of them in 1866. Before that then they might have been known under a different name – or it could be that nothing newspaper-worthy happened to them before that.Â
Although unremarkable in and of themselves there’s a couple of remarkable things about them that are worth mentioning.
The first remarkable thing about them being that, by some small miracle, these little pieces of yesteryear somehow survived the development taking place all around them – in whose ownership is a mystery. And the second is that, when a developer bought them, said developer restored them rather than demolish them. And with some sympathy too. You’ll note from the photos that the original ogee soffits were retained. They’ve been painted white but otherwise are the same. Little short of a miracle I’d say.
In the first picture you see them before renovation. And in the second picture, after renovation – with another house built to their left – and right I think too.
Toothill cottages before renovation – Copyright Brian Robert Marshall and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence. https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2866586Toothill cottages on Freshbrook Way post renovation
What’s in a name?
Why is this road called Freshbrook Way when it’s in Toothill? Well, as a long-term resident of West Swindon explains, calling road ‘xxxx Way’ is an ancient method of directing people. Hence in Swindon we have Wootton Bassett Road, London Street and so on.
Was this once a coaching route? Well, according to Local Studies, there’s an absence of definitive proof of that. But, what is definite is that Freshbrook Way once was a turnpike road. We know this because turnpike gates are marked along the route on earlier maps and it’s referenced as a turnpike road in a newspaper article of a court session from 1866. And that article (see image below) also mentions the Toothill Cottages.
An article from the Swindon Advertiser (5th February 1866) confirms that Lord Bolingbroke (of Lydiard House) took the road between Swindon and Lydiard. It formed part of the route to Wootton Bassett and Brinkworth and joined turnpike roads to Christian Malford and Malmesbury. And part of that was also a main droving route too. So, we can say that Freshbrook Way definitely comprised part of a main road in the area.
Travelling Auctioneers visit RWB Auctions later this month. Royal Wootton Bassett will welcome the BBC this month. The reason? RWB Auctions is hosting a televised sale for the popular daytime series The Travelling Auctioneers. Thus they’rebringing cameras, antiques experts and a live audience to the town.
The BBC One programme, first broadcast in 2022, follows a team of specialists who transform unwanted items into desirable auction lots, raising money for UK families. Having aired five seasons to date on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, the show is now heading to Royal Wootton Bassett.
‘It’s great to welcome another TV antiques show to Royal Wootton Bassett,’ said Gareth Wasp, Head Auctioneer at RWB Auctions.
*See the teddy bear in the wooden box in the photograph? That looks to me to be identical to my teddy bear. My much-loved and much-worn Pedigree Toys teddy, with the growler only just growling. It has the same face and the same brown pads on its feet as mine.
Travelling Auctioneers visit RWB Auctions – Gareth with a selection of items
The team here have had a great time cataloguing the lots they have consigned. They range from collectable toys to gold jewellery, audio equipment, vintage Burberry coats and mid-century furniture. There are some great items here that will generate a lot of interest from our buyers.’
Viewers can expect to see well-known experts including:
Izzie Balmer
JJ Chalmers
James ‘JB’ Broad and ..
… Lauren Wood in action as they present and sell items sourced for the programme.
Your invitation is in the post
Locals have had invitatons to attend the auction in person. Thus get to experience a live, televised sale, with footage due to be broadcast on air later this year.
a rare Kew Gardens 50p coin expected to sell for more than £70
a vintage 1979 Peugeot 103 moped estimated at £200 or more,
an 1872 early edition of Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass valued at £150 plus
and a nostalgic collection of 1950s scouting items with an estimate of £50.
Gareth added: ‘Hosting a sale like this puts Royal Wootton Bassett firmly on the map for both collectors and viewers at home. And it’s exciting to see the saleroom buzzing with a different kind of energy during filming.’
All lots will be available to view in person on Tuesday January 27 between 10am and 5pm.
Health Hydro Phase 1 Open. Well, it’s been a while – but it was always going to be that. Anyway as of today, phase 1 of the renovation of the long-neglected, Grade II* listed health hydro is now open. Note: AKA Milton Road Baths.
I’ve somehow managed to be unavailable for all the tours of the progress so far that’s been on offer. So coming up are a few words and pics from Jason Spickett. Jason runs the Swindon from the Air Facebook page – and it has some fab pics on it. You’ll find it here: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61580272965974
Health Hydro Phase 1 Open – the Health Hydro from above – pic Jason Spickett
Jason’s tour review – edited a little for SEO purposes
With the aim of improving health and cleanliness, the GWR Medical Fund Society built the baths between 1891 and 1892.
The first thing to say is that the renovation works have been carried out with sensitivity. Thus the project has preserved the historic fabric of the building where possible.
As you enter the building, a reception area greets you. It has a timber boundary that also runs around the large gym area. Much effort has been expended in maintaining the dark wood colour used thought the Works and offices.
Many of the walls throughout have a covering of white glazed bricks. Yes, that’s right glazed bricks, not tiles stuck onto brick.
The ventilation system is all brand new and designed to complement the original building. It offers excellent air distribution that manages the warmth and condensation levels. That helps protect the building and those in it.
A behind the scenes visit to the plant rooms gives you an idea of the investment and thought put into the project. Everything is right up to date with first class filtration that even uses ultraviolet light to treat the water. They’ve geared everything in this room towards energy saving and the environment.
The changing rooms for both the gym and pool are all brand-new with showers and individual changing areas. Where possible the rooms look up through sections of roof made of timber and glass. The whole area has temperature control for comfort.
TheHealth hydro big pool viewing galleryHHH large poolHealth hydro large stained glass windowNew plant i the Health hydroHealth Hydro info boards
Festival of Tomorrow News – view of the hawking building at the science and innovation park at Wroughton
This February, Festival of Tomorrow audiences can get special access to the Hawking Building at the Science Museum Group’s Science and Innovation Park at Wroughton, near Swindon. The festival’s organisers have teamed up with the Science and Innovation Park. Together they’re launching a new series of exciting hybrid events. All aimed at people wanting to dive deeper into science and technology. The series of four evening events, which will take place in the Science and Innovation Park’s new Hawking Building, are now live for bookings. That’s along with the first wave of evening festival events aimed at adults and older teenagers.
What audiences can expect
Audiences will enjoy talks and panels experts from different fields, as well as from the Science Museum itself. The hybrid events will also include live links to contributors from around the UK. This will give visitors behind the scenes access to working laboratories not usually accessible to the public. Also after-hours access into the Science Museum in London.
There’ll be live streaming of online events. Plus viewers will have the chance to ask questions remotely. Further, early bookers will also be able to join a limited of spaces in the live audience inside the Hawking Building itself. Those in-person audiences will also have the option to book onto four different, curated tours of areas of the museum collections linked to each topic. These will take place immediately after each event.
On topic
The Hawking Building Series will cover topics from:
The future of lab-grown meat to NASA’s latest Artemis mission sending astronauts back to the moon.
The future of robots in your home …
… and even Eurovision’s surprising role in driving innovation in broadcast technologies around the world.
Dr Roderick Hebden, Director of the Festival of Tomorrow, said:
‘The Science and Innovation Park is a unique facility. It’s right on our doorstep in Swindon and we’re so privileged to be able to bring this opportunity to people in Swindon, as well as audiences online.’
Matt Moore, Director of the Science and Innovation Park, added,
‘We’re excited to be working even closer with the Festival of Tomorrow this year. Both by opening up the Hawking Building to the public for these events, as well as running our own shows and workshops as part of the successful Festival of Tomorrow schools programme.’
Booking now open
The first wave of Festival of Tomorrow events which are available to book now include:
The legendary Robin Ince headlining a comedy show in Old Town
A Star Hop at Lydiard House,
Nature-themed events run with the new Western Forest
And a chance to debate the future of surveillance. And its role in tracking and preventing seasonal and pandemic outbreaks of disease. That’s hosted by the University of Oxford Pandemic Sciences Institute and History of Science Museum.
The Hawking Building
The Hawking Building is a massive, modern storage and research facility at the Science and Innovation Park. It houses over 300,000 objects for the Science Museum Group’s collection. They include everything from historic vehicles and medical instruments to space exploration objects.
Inside the Hawking buillding at the Science I Innovation park at Wroughton
To be first in line for tickets and the latest Festival announcements, sign up for email updates at www.festivaloftomorrow.com and follow @festivaloftomorrow on Facebook and Instagram.
Beaconsbury Forest Book 2, Finn, is coming soon! January 21st 2026 will see Lis McDermott, Royal Wootton Bassett-based author, release her fifth novel, Finn. It’s the second in the Beaconsbury Forest Series.
Finn is the daughter of Honey, the main protagonist in the first book of the series. Lis published that book, with the eponymous title, in June 2025.
At the end of book one, Honey Finn leaves the forest and goes off to art college in Leicester, uncertain of who she is. While at college she meets Kian. When her new life overwhelms her, Finn seeks refuge back in her safe place, Beaconsbury Forest, and another chapter opens up for her.
The three books follow the lives of mother and daughter from 1954 up to 2024.
Beaconsbury Forest Book 2 – Finn – by Lis McDermot
Location, location, location
Set in a forest, loosely based on the Forest of Dean, Lis has loved creating the characters within the community. Honey’s character felt hemmed in by the forest. Whereas Finn follows in her grandfather’s footsteps and loves everything about it. And that shared love creates a special bond between them. She misses her forest when she’s away at college and returns as soon as she can.
In the first two books, we don’t know who it is, and we never hear from them, but in the background of the main family story, there’s someone killing young women. Book three will reveal the identity of the murderer. And it will also continue to follow the twists and turns of the lives of both Honey and Finn.
Front cover of HONEY – the first book in the Beaconsbury Forest series by Lis McDermott
Before writing this series, Lis wrote three other novels, all suspenseful romance:
