Swindonian Blog Posts
Swindon news, views, history and culture
The Richard Jefferies’ school – a Personal Memory
My recent post about the Richard Jefferies museum 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.
Richard Jefferies Victorian Nature Writer
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.
Swindon and iconic buildings
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.
No 10: Multicultural Swindon
Well dear readers, here we are with the last in my series of 10 things I think are worth celebrating about 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 – and after 20 years here I’d like to count myself as one because Swindon is definitely home to me now – has so very, very much to be proud of.
No 9: David Bent Artist
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.
No 8: The Magic Roundabout Traffic System
Yes! The Magic Roundabout traffic system. As featured heavily in Secret Swindon.
It’s a bit like Marmite. But whether you love it, hate it or are indifferent to it you certainly can’t ignore it.
No 7: Swindon leisure facilities
Swindon Leisure facilities represented the land of milk and honey to me and my 12-year-old daughter when we pitched up here in the early 190s.
We left a small village in Derbyshire, a part of the country left ravaged and war-torn (and that’s not too strong a term) by the miners’ strike and the Tory government. Not only were there no jobs and no prospects there was nothing to do and nowhere to go unless you had a car which I didn’t. Once Meadowhall and Cystal Peaks opened in the Sheffield areas, our local town of Worksop, simply died.
Swindon’s Old Farmhouses
August 2013
It’s a truth universally acknowledged that a busy university student needs guest bloggers to keep the blogging ball rolling. So I’m super grateful to Frances Bevan for sending me these words about some of Swindon’s old farmhouses.
Whilst my knowledge of Swindon, is at best, superficial – though my enthusiasm for the town is anything but – the same cannot be said of Frances.
No 6: The Museum of Computing Swindon
This post, as you can tell, is a very early post on this blog, featuring the Swindon Museum of Computing. I really need to have a word with my chum Simon Webb, get a guided tour, and redo it. But this will give you the idea.
The Swindon Book by Mark Child
At last! I’ve managed to get my copy of The Swindon Book by Mark Child, from the tourist information desk at the central library. As the back cover says, the book is:
Swindon in 50 more buildings
West Swindon – What the eye doesn’t see
Swindon – A Born Again Swindonian’s Guide
We Are Swindon
