Swindon
Swindon maps (2 available)
Map of Wiltshire
Beautifully hand-drawn and coloured, dating from around 1840
Personalised maps
Create an historic map centred directly on any postcode!
Swindon books (12 available)
- 12 photos on Swindon appear in 3 Frith books - View photos of Swindon
- Read extracts and see photos from these books on Swindon and Wiltshire
Swindon memories
Read and share memories of Swindon and Wiltshire inspired by Frith photos
School
Highworth Warneford School is a very good school in Swindon.
I have lots of good memories here and will be sad to leave :(
Jaz
xxx
Contributed by jaz g
Ducks
I remember when I was little going to Coate water, feeding the ducks and having picnics with my family. Those were the days! :)
Contributed by jaz g
Mother.
My mother worked in the cafeteria at lunch time, collecting the money from the students. She seemed to know everybody in the college and when she passed away at the young age of 48, it seemed that the whole of Swindon mourned with us. Swindon is a place that I hold dear to my heart. Every picture that I have looked at today brings back wounderful memories of a town that I still call home even though I live overseas.
Contributed by patricia beach
Farewell rail tour
The picture is taken from the footbridge and show the rail tour on about 3/9/61. There were two. This one is the one I travelled on hauled by GWR 2-6-0 5306. I rode on the footplate of the engine from here to Cirencester. The other one was hauled by 7808 Cookham Manor.
Contributed by adrian vaughan
Family Tree
I am researching my fam tree. I have found out some of my ancestors came from Swindon. Due to a long story my Grandmothers biological Grandfather worked on the G.W.R AS A Labourer his name was Edwin New. He married Mary Jane Stroud in 1873 then went on to have my Grandmother Real mother Alice Elizabeth New. Alice was born on the 10th March 1884 at Lower stratton.
I wondered if any one out there knows of these name above. My grandmother was born in a mother and baby hospital in Hackney for unmarried mother on the 24th July 1906. I found the details out with the help of the Salvation Army her real mothers name was given ...read more here
Contributed by Karen Surtees
Extracts From Swindon & Wiltshire books
Swindon - ‘swine down’ or ‘pig hill’ - is
Wiltshire’s largest settlement; it grew
from the two villages of Old and New
Swindon of about 2,000 inhabitants
in 1900 to its present size of about
100,000, and it is still growing rapidly.
Christ Church is by Sir G G Scott, of
1851, and replaces Holy Rood in the
grounds of the mansion owned by the
Goddard family - their history there
traces back to 1560. Christ Church is
largely built in late 13th-century style;
it has a west tower and broach spire,
and lavish furnishings inside, including
an ornate coloured reredos, and
plenty of stained glass.
An extract from from"Wiltshire Churches Photographic Memories".
Another view of the High Street. The ivy-covered 18th-
century Goddard Arms had been a coaching inn and is a
reminder of pre-railway days. Now the RAC and AA signs
shows that it has successfully adapted itself to the age of the
motor car.
An extract from from"Wiltshire Pocket Album".
Although this picture was taken in the
1960’s and is within living memory,
it demonstrates how quickly fashion
and styles change. The clothes appear
almost drab, and the cars would now be collectors items.
An extract from from"Wiltshire Pocket Album".
A large crowd has gathered in Newport Street,
part of the Old Town of Swindon. The cause
of the excitement is not clear, but it could
be a fire at the thatched building round the
corner. The wall of the house on the right is
smothered in trade posters and advertisements
for the forthcoming attractions at the Empire
Theatre.
An extract from from"Wiltshire Pocket Album".
Lots of bustle and business make this a delightfully atmospheric
photograph, typifying the times just after the Great War. The
billboard indicates that the only way to find out the racing
results in those pre-radio and television days was by newsheet.
An extract from from"Wiltshire Pocket Album".