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.
27. The Ship Inn 1847
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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
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
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.
23. No 24 Fleet Street 1902
No 24 Fleet Street is one of the buildings I mention in the New Swindon/town centre trail that I wrote in my Born Again Swindonian guidebook. The whole point of that trail – indeed the book – is to urge and encourage the reader to find the interest, the story – yes even the beauty – in the less obvious. It exhorts one to look up because so often that’s where you’ll find the aforementioned.
22. Churchward House 1841
Churchward House, now housing offices, originally served as the Great Western Railway’s drawing office. It’s named for George Jackson Churchward CBE ( 1857-1933). Churchward served as the GWR’s mechanical engineer from 1902-1922.
21. The Corn Exchange Old Town
With Swindon in 50 Buildings, I had to keep to a firm brief set by the publisher, Amberley. I had to stay central – nothing from the wider borough. And the buildings I wrote about had to be still standing – they couldn’t be ex-buildings. So in this series of Swindon in 50 More Buildings I’m redressing some of that. Ergo, though I haven’t yet, I will include at least a couple of buildings from the wider borough and, if only one, an ex-building. Namely, ,Old Town’s Corn Exchange aka the Locarno.
20. Heelis NT HQ
I’ve had to neglect Swindon in 50 more buildings to make room for other projects. But a visit to STEAM and therefore a walk right past Heelis, prompted me to do a post about it.
19. Park House Swindon 1876/1877
Having covered the GWR workers’ tunnel and the GWR barracks in the railway village conservation area in this series, time now to look at Park House.
Grade II listed, Park House Swindon, sits on Church Place overlooking the GWR park, in the railway village.
18. The GWR Barracks 1853-1855
Having covered a good chunk of Swindon’s fabulous GWR Railway Village in my Swindon in 50 Buildings book, I’m making up for the omission of this building there – here. If you’re with me.
16. The Nunnery on Milton Road
I very nearly put the nunnery on Milton Road in Swindon in 50 Buildings but didn’t. So, despite the fact that’s not too much to tell, I have to include it in this Swindon in 50 More Buildings series, because it’s unique in Swindon. There is no other nunnery – or ex-nunnery – in the town. Unless someone can tell me otherwise.
15. 1-3 Faringdon Road Swindon
W G Little Milliner and Draper
Born in Chippenham to a Scots family, William Graham Little arrived in Swindon in 1874.
West Swindon – What the eye doesn’t see
Swindon In 50 Buildings
Swindon – A Born Again Swindonian’s Guide
Dona Bradley Architectural Illustrator
We Are Swindon
