According to British History online, he issued his paper, the Swindon Advertiser and Monthly Record, monthly – obvs. Following the 1855 repeal of stamp duty on newspapers, he published his paper weekly. By 1870 Morris had renamed the paper the Swindon Advertiser and Wiltshire, Berkshire and Gloucestershire Chronicle. Last issued as a weekly paper in December 1925, it thereafter became an evening paper, called the Evening Advertiser.
Following Morris’ death, his sons conducted the paper for some years. 1920 saw it acquired the Swindon Press Ltd. and in 1956 by Wiltshire Newspapers Ltd. The Swindon Press, however, remained the general printing company and both companies came under the ownership of the Westminster Press and Provincial Newspapers Ltd.
William Morris Blue Plaque on the Swindon Advertiser Building on Victoria Hill
Much belated recognition
This recognition for Morris has been a long-time coming. As Graham Carter said in his Adver column: ‘William Morris was the founder of the newspaper you are reading now, and an all-round great guy, but there has been nothing to commemorate him in the town, apart from the inscription on his grave at ChristChurch.’
*A new William Morris Way and a new William Morris primary school in Swindon are named for the Kelmscott William Morris.
Graham goes on to tell us that Morris authored Swindon 50 Years Ago, a still-must-read for anyone interested in the town’s past. But, as Graham also states, what makes him more memorable still, is his tireless championing of ordinary folk via is newspaper. He used it to spotlight anyone falling short of the high standards he felt should apply to people in authority, public office or privileged positions. For instance, the winter of 1861 saw him berating the local gentry for organising a BBQ on a frozen Coate Water using surplus meat as a football. This at a time when people were struggling to afford food.
One could argue that our national and local politicians could do worse than take a leaf out of his book. I’ll go for it – I’ll argue it. They could! Boris Johnson spending £500 a roll on wallpaper anyone???
So – as Graham said: ‘He is surely one of the greatest men to never have a road or a school named after him?’
Noel Beauchamp at the plaque unveiling
Desmond Morris
I can’t call this post complete without mentioning one of Swindon’s most famous sons, Desmond Morris. How so? Ad what’s the relevance? Well because Desmond Morris is the great, great grandson of our William Morris – the founder of the first penny newspaper.
Why do the council hate the Oasis? Indeed, DO the council hate the Oasis?
I confess I’d not considered these questions at all until more than one person gave voice to them on Twitter in recent conversations about the Oasis. And the more I ponder, the more I’m forced to confront the possibility. Let’s look at the evidence for the prosecution.
In the first instance that action, I assume sanctioned by the Council leader, raises many questions. 1. Is it an appropriate thing for a Cllr to do? 2. Does such an action best serve the residents they’ve been elected to serve – many of whom do not want to lose the Oasis for a not-very-lovely, definitely-not-iconic gasometer look-a-like. And many others of a similar ilk.
I don’t know – I’m merely putting out there that maybe this is not something a councillor ought to do.
But putting all that to one side for a moment, isn’t such a thing an overt act of hostility to the Oasis? At the very least it feels like a petty action to take. One that smacks of a mystifying desperation to demolish something deserving of the term iconic. Something interesting, something significant and replace it with something about which, the word bland is the most positive spin I can find.
*Why wouldn’t a town’s administration want to do their damnedest to keep a heritage building? And let’s be clear – the Oasis is equally as much a heritage building as the Mechanics’ Institution, the GWR Railway Village, the town hall and many more.
*There are answers to that question for sure but I’ll leave it there for now.
The aforementioned Adver article quotes Cllr Heenan as saying: ‘People are passionate about the Oasis Leisure Centre and its emotional connection to families learning to swim, but this building does not have special architectural or historic interest, and no part should be listed.’ Cllr Heenan speaks there with both breath-taking arrogance and an authority on architecture I didn’t realise he possessed. Who knew?
Note – since the publication of that piece the Save the Oasis campaign have amassed a great deal of evidence to refute that statement.
Is this or is this not an act of hostility towards the Oasis? And indeed, I will argue, Swindon itself:
I for one, will be keeping my fingers crossed Historic England does not grant it listed status because it is time to give the Oasis a new lease of life and many more families treasured memories.’
Yet again, so many questions raised. How is it appropriate for a Council leader to actively and openly wish for the demolition of a heritage building? That’s an astonishing thing to say and surely wrong on so many levels?! For a start – how are we meant to have any trust in a Council leader with such an approach to heritage assets?
‘Oasis dome is at the end of its life – it’s time for a modern leisure centre’ screamed the Adver headline.
In the first instance there’s no such thing as a building lifespan – only lack of maintenance. And again the Save Oasis campaign have evidence to support that assertion. Apart from that, what gives Cllr Renard the authority to tell Swindonians that it’s ‘it’s time for a modern leisure centre’. Yet more breath-taking, paternalistic arrogance. Whether Swindonians want a new leisure centre or not, is for them to decide – not the council to dictate.
The Oasis as a tourist attraction
The Oasis used to be a huge draw. As Barry Leighton wrote in the Swindon Advertiser in 2015, it was a bigger attraction than Stonehenge! And it could be again! With vision and the right management. Whereas, ‘let’s go to Swindon to swim in a leisure centre that looks like a gasometer’ no-one will say ever!
Anyone would think that our current Conservative administration don’t want people to come to Swindon and spend their money here. Certainly, demolish the Oasis and you’ve got a gaping hole on the Visit Swindon website. #awkward
Have they thought this through AT ALL?
And another point to be clear on there. Any replacement leisure centre that doesn’t feature:
The dome
A freeform lagoon pool that offers easy-access for the less mobile and for small children the like of which nothing else in Swindon offers.
… a tropical themed interior …
… isn’t the Oasis. It’s a North Star Leisure centre.
Thus, dressing that hastily-shoved out CGI as ‘saving the iconic Oasis’ is a misrepresentation at best. And woeful ignorance of what the word iconic does in fact mean. Unless they were being ironic …?
And aside from the swimming, there was football, live music, roller-skating, martial arts, gymnastics and more. I could go on for hours.
But instead, I’ll return to my original questions: Why does SBC hate the Oasis? DO SBC hate the Oasis?
Answers on a postcard! Preferably to the Swindon Advertiser Office!
A response to Cllr Renard’s Swindon Advertiser article on 18/3/2021
A response to Cllr Renard
Dear Cllr Renard
Before I start I wish to clarify that when I use the terms YOU/YOUR etc I’m not necessarily referring to you as a person. I’m using ‘you’ as a metonymy for the body for which you work (the cabinet and/or the Conservative group – not however many other employees are in those offices) and which you represent. I trust you’ll appreciate the difference where it’s applicable.
Attitude is all
Over the last couple of days, I’ve written much about the Oasis. But what has driven my fingers back to my keyboard in a mixture of astonishment, bewilderment and fury, is your comment inthis morning’s Swindon Advertiser.
Shining like a super-trooper from that piece – indeed from the very heading itself: Oasis dome is at the end of its life – it’s time for a modern leisure centre –is, it seems to me, a lamentable lack of humility and an awful lot of paternalistic, patronising arrogance.
What that heading, and the contents of your piece, scream to me, is ‘daddy knows best. The medicine is nasty but it’s good for you’.
Said Cllr Renard:
‘I for one, will be keeping my fingers crossed Historic England does not grant it listed status because it is time to give the Oasis a new lease of life and many more families treasured memories.’
Seriously? What leader of a council that purports to care about its town’s heritage would even say such a thing?!
Are you so completely out of touch with those you’re supposed to be serving? Whether we voted for you or not!? I’m speechless! Well … almost … That’s a simply appalling thing to say – and an excuse!
And the whole point, the one that you’ve missed with such brilliance, is that the ‘plan’ (I use that word with reluctance) you’ve put forward takes away the very thing that makes the Oasis the Oasis.
It’s plain dishonest to put it forward as giving ‘the Oasis a new lease of life and many more families treasured memories’ when it’s nothing of the sort.
That’s a plan for a leisure centre not the Oasis. Let’s be clear on that. I’ve already banged on about that so no need to over-egg that particular pudding.
Who says?
Who says it’s time for a modern leisure centre? Apart from you because that fits your particular narrative I mean.
Where is the hard evidence that the dome is environmentally and economically unviable? By which I mean unbiased reports from such organisations as the Twentieth Century Society,RIBA and Historic England. Or any other credible organisation that could produce reliable evidence of what you’re all too willing to claim.
Show that to Swindonians who don’t want to lose what matters about the Oasis – its very form – and they might listen. Show – don’t tell. PLEASE.
Playing devils’ advocate
So, for the sake of argument, let’s imagine that you do have hard evidence of the unviability of the dome and you genuinely can’t make it work, some humility, some regret, some acknowledgement of feeling and desires of your citizens wouldn’t come amiss.
How about, instead of telling us that it’s time for a new leisure centre, you preface presentations of that ilk with something like:
‘We appreciate how much the dome/insert name of heritage asset in question, means to you. We’ve explored every option to the Nth degree, it simply doesn’t add up and this is why …
And we’re sorry. We regret that BUT – we can do this instead ….‘
But no – you go all didactic and TELL us what’s good for us.And worse – you do it all the time.
Sorry really is the hardest word it seems.
Yours,
In increasing sadness and increasing frustration – a Swindon enthusiast.
PS: Going off topic a bit: I am prepared to accept with good grace a dome-less facility if I’m assured that all avenues have been explored to save the dome. But have they?Therein lies the rub eh?
It’s been sometime in the coming – you know how it is with building works – it always takes longer and costs more than you think. But at last it’s open and getting underway and, best thing of all, it’s a lovely bit of good news for Swindon’s heritage and the railway village conservation area.
What am I talking about listeners? The Baker’s Community café of course.
From guns to buns
Or as suggested on social media:
From riot to quiet
From thugs to mugs
Moving on!!
I’m pretty ignorant of the history of this ex railway village pub, but it seems it had a reputation for being ‘a bit rough’ – to understate the case. As this article in the Swindon Advertiser explains:
‘The Bakers Arms will reopen as a community café this week after a makeover that saw builders rip out moulding bar and restore historic fireplaces in the 150-year-old pub.
It will prove a major reversal of fortune for the Emlyn Square pub, which was once a source of anti-social behaviour and ire for residents.
In December 2011, police raided the Bakers Arms and found a shotgun and a large amount of what officers suspected was cocaine. The pub was closed three months later after a review by the council’s licensing panel. .. ‘
Huge congrats to everyone at the Mechanics’ Institute Trust – I’m sure it will be great asset to the central area and to Swindon as a whole. Goodness knows Swindon’s heritage areas need some uplift. So this is super welcome.
Sam Allen: ‘Swindon Town manager and football pioneer Sam Allen (the sixth-most longest-serving manager in Football League history), and was unveiled on May 19, 2018, by former Swindon Town footballer John Trollope MBE, and Sam’s granddaughter-in-law, Pat Chapman.
‘In 1764 a free school for the working classes was provided in a cottage Newport Street, to educate 20 boys and 5 girls on land owned by the Goddard family. But soon the number of pupils outgrew the accommodation and a two storey stone-built National School was built on the same site in 1835. Among its pupils in the 1860s was future author, Richard Jefferies, mentioned in my Blip about Jefferies Avenue a few weeks ago.’
