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.
35. The GW Hotel Swindon 1869
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34. The Queen’s Tap Swindon 1842-43
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.
33. Swindon Railway Station 1842
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.
32. The Garrard Factory 1920s
As I pointed out in my piece about what’s left of Old Town’s Corn Exchange, I don’t intend to go overboard with long-gone buildings in this Swindon in 50 More Buildings series. Indeed, I hadn’t thought about covering the Garrard factory at all. But one of Royston Cartwright’s fab Facebook posts about the business prompted me to think I should include it. After all, Garrard was a hugely important industry for Swindon.
31. Swindon Central Library 2008
Sitting on Regent Circus, on the the opposite side to Rudi’s, and on the site of the forty-year-old ‘temporary’ library, lies Swindon central library. Designed council architects Nic Newland and Tony Currivan its 71, 405 bricks and 18, 415 roof tiles cost the princely sum of £10, 214, 930.00. Princess Anne performed the official opening of the library on 22nd May 2009.
30. The Cricketer’s Arms Pub 1846
One could well argue that creating a separate entry for The Cricketer’s Arms Pub constitutes a bit of a cheat, given that I covered the railway village as a whole in Swindon in 50 Buildings. But, given that, thanks to the work of the Mechanics’ Institution Trust it’s no longer rotting away, I felt it justified a special mention here.
29. Pavey’s Mill Wroughton 1771
Pavey’s Mill Wroughton is a welcome addition to this Swindon in 50 More Buildings series. That’s because, with my original Swindon in 50 Buildings book the brief didn’t allow me to cover any buildings in the wider borough.
28. STEAM museum Swindon 1846
STEAM museum Swindon. Otherwise known as STEAM – the museum of the Great Western Railway. It’s somewhat impossible to give Grade II listed building that houses this tourist tribute to God’s Wonderful Railway to one ex-Works building in particular. And that’s because it comprises a number of buildings.
27. The Ship Inn 1847
These days a ubiquitous HMO, you’ll find what was the Ship Inn at 179 on the corner of Westcott Place, Birch Street, Park Lane and Faringdon Road, opposite the GWR park.
26. Radnor Street Chapel 1881
This entry in the blog’s Swindon in 50 More Buildings series features Radnor Street Chapel – and a little about the cemetery.
25. The Torin Building Swindon 1965
The Torin Building Swindon – and there’s a reason that I’ve specified Swindon here. It’s because our Torin building has a sister building of sorts in Brussels, Belgium. And I’ll return to that later.
24. Sanford Street School 1881
Swindon’s Sanford Street school for boys opened in 1881 with capacity for 794 boys. The building cost of £5 per child was in-line with the standard cost of infant schools at that time – but this one boasted a superior design. It’s reasonable to assume that the school’s designer, Brightwen Binyon, felt proud of it being as he published it in Building News in 1881.
Swindon in 50 more buildings
West Swindon – What the eye doesn’t see
Swindon – A Born Again Swindonian’s Guide
We Are Swindon
