Dominated by the massive brick wall to the side of the Works, Rodbourne Road grew with said factory. Built in stages between 1872 and 1920 (approx.) it served as a main route through the Rodbourne area, built to house and support the ever-growing workforce at the GWR Works.
Firefly Avenue.
Having left Emlyn Square and walked through the Worker’s Tunnel we emerge onto Firefly Avenue.
Way back in Swindon’s pre-history, before the completion of Brunel’s railway village, private builders began erecting houses outside it. At first, these houses for the GWR workers stood in close comfort to the railway village along and just off a track known as Fleetway or Fletway – a term derived from Old and Middle English. Fleet/Flet meaning, amongst other things, a slow-moving watercourse and way, from Old English, is what you’d suppose – a road, path or track.
 Today we know this track as Westcott Place, Faringdon Road and Fleet Street. These small settlements became established as early as 1845.
Broad Street and Manchester Road.
With the County Ground to our right we’re now taking a left turn onto Broad Street – and then to Manchester Road – see the circled area on the map below.Â
County Road Swindon we come to now in our Swindon in 25 Streets journey – the logical next step from Fleming Way.
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 due to not being able to get to Local Studies for a while. It’ll all sort itself out in the book.
Fleming Way Swindon Centre 1962-1965.
Running through the centre of Swindon, Fleming Way takes its name from one of Swindon’s greatest footballers: Harold John Fleming (1887-1955). Following the route of the then Wilts and Berks canal it begins at the junction with Milford Street and runs along to the Magic Roundabout and County Road. That marvelllous, Magimix of a traffic system sits in front of the County Ground football stadium where of course Harold’s feet performed footballing feats.
Canal Walk Town Centre – 1972.
Bringing us into modern Swindon and doing exactly as that famous Ronseal advert proclaims, Canal Walk in the heart of Swindon’s town centre, follows the route of where the Wilts & Berks canal once ran. It’s now a pedestrianised shopping area whose paving, if you stop and look, tells some of the history of this area’s backstory.
Faringdon Road Swindon – 1880s.
The time was when this stretch of road comprised two separate streets: Faringdon Road and Faringdon Street. They, along with Westcott Place and Fleet Street, were developed along an ancient track known as the Fleetway or Fleteway. Thus, where Fleet Street meets Bridge Street, in a nod to that long-gone track, a currently unoccupied commercial building bears the name Fleetway House.
Milton Road 1895.
If Commercial Road comprises part of the link between the new Swindon and the old, then Milton Road is the other part. It takes you down to Faringdon road, where, before you, is the GWR railway village.
Commercial Road 1888-1890.
Before I say anything much about Commercial Road and the area around it, it’s pertinent to say something about the Rolleston estate. This estate comprised areas of land lying, in particular, according to Mark Child, to the south, south-west and south east of the railway village. And they were key to the development of Swindon – in that they comprised a physical link between the new town and the old.
Old Shaw Lane West Swindon.
As I’ve said elsewhere, I have a tendency think of Old Shaw Lane as a little bit of Swindon’s yesteryear. But of course, it’s not. Because it wasn’t Swindon at all – Swindon as we know it now, didn’t exist over that side of town at all. But it’s a survivor of the 1980s western expansion development all around it and that’s one good reason for featuring it here.
