94 Ermin Street Stratton. Today it’s an estate agent but this unprepossessing building was the crucible of the Morse family’s commercial empire. For 94 Ermin Street was the retail premises of Primitive Methodist, Charles Morse. And, if you’ve any knowledge of Swindon’s history at all, the name Morse ought to be familiar to you.
The carriage works. The first thing to say about them is that, despite what you read on the Internet, this collection of buildings are NOT Brunel’s. They are in fact the work/initiative of chief mechanical engineer, Joseph Armstrong.* Brunel died in 1859. And the carriage works didn’t appear for another decade!
Inglesham Church, aka The Church of St John the Baptist, is the second of a trio of 13th century churches that I’m including in this Swindon in 50 More Buildings series. Not that they’re in any particular order, but the first of them is the church of St Michael and All The Angels in Highworth. The third one will focus on St Mary’s church in Rodbourne Cheney but in this post we’re going to Inglesham.
St Michael’s church Highworth, or to give it its full title, St Michael’s & All Angel’s Church lays claim to being the only 13th century church in the borough of Swindon. So the church’s website states. But St Mary’s at Rodbourne Cheney is 13th century, as the British listed buildings website states. And so too is is the church of St John the Baptist in Inglesham. So that’s a trio of 13th century churches in the borough that I know to. Are there more?
St Andrew’s North Swindon – Blunsdon to be precise – isn’t a church I’m familiar with myself. But a Twitter chum, Lee, suggested I include it in Swindon in 50 More Buildings because it’s a delightful church and little known. So here it is.
20 Fleet Street Swindon is in a sorry state. Even so it warrants a place in Swindon in 50 More Buildings? For this once fine building has had a varied history. One that I think should be recorded before it gets into a worse state and/or ends up ruined like its near neighbour at No 24 Fleet Street. Otherwise known as the Public Benefit Boot Company. The developers actions on the windows of that building are an utter travesty. That’s with ‘enforcement’ apparently …
As a building, the Old Post Office Highworth, as pleasant as it is, is I daresay unremarkable. But the same isn’t true of erstwhile postmistress, Mabel Stranks. For she and her wartime exploits are the opposite of unremarkable.
Granville House Old Town – Swindon.
Often referred to as The White House this Grade II listed property deserves a place in Swindon in 50 More Buildings for more than one reason. And not least of which is that it’s a striking building on a generous plot with an actual stable block and coach house to its rear!
The Motorola Building Swindon opened in November 1998 by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Striking and futuristic, the High-tech building did duty as a James Bond location.
The Great Western Hotel Swindon is a pub that’s undergone a number of incarnations as this history of the pub on the Arkell’s website tells us.
The Queen’s Tap Swindon is one of two pubs situated across the road from Swindon railway station. Once known as the Queen’s Hotel, the Queen’s Tap was the first of the two to have Swindonians leaning on the bar.
Even though I’m a regular user of Swindon railway station as I embark on my frequent Surrey schlep to the grandchildren I tend to forget half of Brunel’s original station remains. My memory on this point isn’t helped by the modern station frontage with Signal Point behind it. Surely the only redeeming feature of that building is the large, red Network Rail logo it bears.
