Photography competition focuses on Swindon’s architectural gems
Visit Swindon is inviting photographers to focus on Swindon’s architectural gems in its 2021 photography competition.
The Architecture photo challenge follows the success of 2020’s Hidden Gems photography competition. That saw almost 500 images of the town uploaded to the organisation’s Instagram feed.
The competition is a fun way for amateur photographers to get back out into their local environment. All the while following social distancing guidelines. The Visit Swindon team will share selected images on their own social media channels.
As the town’s businesses emerge from lockdown, one lucky photographer will win a £300 prize bundle sponsored by businesses in Swindon’s Old Town. The bundle will comprise £50 vouchers to spend in the following businesses:
1. Food Magpie 2. Magnum Wine Shop 3. Contemporary art and furniture gallery Oink 4. Lifestyle store Kapada Vintage 5. Willoby’s Furniture 6. The Wood Street Foodhall
There’s also a Sunday roast for two at The Bank restaurant and bar in Wood Street.
* A great bundle of prizes for sure. But what a pity and an opportunity missed by the competition organiser not to show some support for other independent business in the town. There’s enough of them. It’s almost like the rest of the town doesn’t exist. Such a shame.
Old Town-based branding agency Jazzbones is coordinating the competition. It’s MD Nathan Sandhu said: ‘Swindon is steeped in architectural history. And that history is a photographer’s dream.
Swindon boasts:
1. The GWR Railway Village conservation area 2. Victorian houses aplenty in Old Town including Vilett’s House – much-loved by Sir John Betjeman. 3. The Mechanics’ Institution and the Corn Exchange/Locarno and of course … 4. Our GWR Works reimagined as the Designer Outlet centre.
Indeed, what Swindon offers is a giant history book waiting for you to capture with your camera or smartphone.
Not only about old buildings
But it’s not only about the historic buildings. Swindon also boasts plenty of photogenic modern buildings.
Such buildings as the skyscraping David Murray John towert that casts a dramatic shadow over the Swindon skyline. And of course the Brunel shopping centre itself.
And for something left field, consider the Hongxin Chinese Restaurant at Peatmoor Lagoon – AKA the Chinese Experience. Or the futuristic Whale Bridge Car Park in Swindon’s town centre.’
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!
Yes! The Magic Roundabout traffic system. As featured heavily in Secret Swindon.
It’s a bit like Marmite. But whether you love it, hate it or are indifferent to it you certainly can’t ignore this counterflow roundabout.
On a counterflow roundabout, traffic in the inner circle circulates counter-clockwise while the outer circle goes conventionally clockwise.
Where the name came from
A quick rootle round Google will bring up all manner of information about this traffic system but our very own Swindon Web has a niece piece about it: ‘Until September 1972, there was only one Magic Roundabout and it was a children’s television programme featuring Dougal the dog, a hippy rabbit called Dylan and the spring-loaded Zebedee….’ That was certainly my knowledge and understanding of that term until I moved to Swindon.
When this roundabout first appeared on Swindon’s urban landscape it bore the moniker: The County Island’s Roundabout. But the locals were quick to dub it the magic roundabout. The nickname stuck and the authority bowed to the inevitabe.
Opened in 1972, the roundabout is now rather famous/notorious/ – delete as applicable. It’s definitely iconic in either event.
It’s celebrated here in Swindon – in the central library all manner of Magic Roundabout souvenirs are available from T-Shirts to tea towels.
Located near the County Ground football stadium – hence its original name – its unusual design consists of five mini-roundabouts arranged around a sixth central, anti-clockwise roundabout.
Magic roundabout mosaic by Swindon mosaic artist Lynette Thomas
It even inspired – allegedly – the song ‘English Roundabout’ by Swindon band XTC. So who needs Thorpe Park and Alton Towers when here’s our very own white-knuckle ride! 🙂
