West Swindon: What the eye doesn’t see. Published October 2023 by Hobnob Press, this newest tome is a collaborative work between myself, Roger Ogle and Frances Bevan.
West Swindon’s story is a long one. It stretches way back to a time when it wasn’t West Swindon. It reaches back to way before the St. John (pronounced Sinjin) family hunted the parkland around our much-loved Lydiard House. Way before that, Romans lived and died – and made bricks in this area.
For hundreds of years, Lydiard House and its farms were out in the countryside. That situation remained thus until the building of Swindon’s western expansion began in the 1970s, changing the landscape forever. But if you look around you, you can find echoes of the area’s past all around you.
So in the book, we the authors have woven a rich tapestry of West Swindon from its Roman beginnings through to the how and why of the western expansion. Forming part of the tapestry’s pattern is public art and open spaces, ancient hedgerows and the selection of street names. All rounded off with a round-up of some of the more striking and interesting 20th century buildings that West Swindon boasts.
How much and where can you buy it?
The book’s RRP is £14.99.
You can get your hands on a copy at the following outlets:
- Swindon central library shop
- Waterstones Swindon
- Amazon. Find it here.
- On the Hobnob Press website – find that here.
Or buy the book direct from me here:
My other publications
- Secret Swindon: https://swindonian.me/my-swindon-publications/secret-swindon/
- Swindon in 50 Buildings: https://swindonian.me/my-swindon-publications/swindon-in-50-buildings/
- A Ken White Retrospective: https://swindonian.me/my-swindon-publications/a-ken-white-retrospective/
- A Born Again Swindonian’s guidebook: https://swindonian.me/swindon-a-born-again-swindonians-guide/
