Swindon

This public house at Stratton St Margaret owes its existence to the Wilts and Berks Canal which ran nearby. The original inn stood on the opposite side of the road, on the south- western corner of what is now the busy Oxford road into Swindon. The original building was demolished, and a new one built in 1937-38 on its present site. One of its most famous landlords since then has been Johnnie Stiles, whose band had brought prestige to the town when winning the All British Dance Band Championships in both 1948 and 1949. Standing on the A419 Swindon by-pass and A420 Oxford Road interchange, the pub was subsequently extended and modernized in 1982.
An extract from from"Swindon Living Memories".

The View to Bridge Street This section of Regent Street is immediately to the north of the McIlroy’s store. On the corner of Havelock Street and to the left stood Anstiss & Co Ltd, drapers, which stood here until the 1960s when it suffered two major fires, the second of which destroyed the premises completely. On the right is the Arcadia Cinema, which later became the Classic cartoon cinema. The HMV store now stands on this site. At centre-right is Morse’s department store, 10/12 Regent Street. This was the second of Swindon’s major stores for many years (with McIlroy’s) and was owned by the Morse family of Old Town. W H Smith has occupied this site from 1973.
An extract from from"Swindon Living Memories".

The View North-West This thoroughfare was originally lined with workers’ cottages, but from about 1865 many of these dwellings were converted into shops. The small shop fronts to the left were built out from the original terraced houses. On the far left is the Regent Street Primitive Methodist church; it had been built here in 1876 to replace two former chapels on the same site of 1849 and 1863. In 1895 a large Sunday school was built behind the chapel. This remained for many years, even after the chapel itself was demolished in 1957. It served for some years as Swindon’s first arts centre and as the children’s library.
An extract from from"Swindon Living Memories".

Situated west of the Concert Bowl, the rose gardens were laid out in the late 1920s-early 1930s on the site of a former maze. The many roses in the garden provide a varied mixture of scent and colour throughout the summer. The small sculpture of Pan was later moved to a new position on the lawn south of the rose gardens. The octagonal seat shown in the background was removed in later years.
An extract from from"Swindon Living Memories".

Looking South to Marlborough Road The buildings to the left stood next to the Old Town Hall on the Market Square. In the 19th century the shop on the corner was a grocer’s and baker’s owned by the family of the writer Richard Jefferies. The Masons Arms (beyond), with its own stables, which stood opposite the junction with Newport Street, had parts of the building dating back to the late 17th century. Immediately adjacent to this inn in Marlborough Road was another old public house, the Bell & Shoulder of Mutton. This section of the High Street has changed beyond recognition today. Road widening in 1969-70 swept away all the buildings to the left; the HSBC Bank complex, and its adjacent car park, now cover the area.
An extract from from"Swindon Living Memories".