Going sky high over town in 1959

With the 19th century Town Hall and the temporary library buildings in the foreground, Regent Circus is almost unrecognisable in this 1959 photograph.

Fletcher’s Directory of Swindon records doctors J Holland, WO Connell and T Quigley in practise at 37 Regent Street while solicitors Pooley, Booth & Anderson were at number 34. There were four greengrocers and three butchers including Eastmans, JW Read and Hunt & Sons among the many shops since replaced by 1960s office blocks.

Rudi’s Bar (1), the art deco building next to the recently closed Mecca Bingo Hall, opened as the Corporation Electricity Showrooms in the 1930s. Next to the home of the children’s library, it later became the Islington Furnishing Company. Did you buy your first three piece suite from this “Modern Furnishers”?

Although shops to the right of the Victoria Road traffic island are still recognisable, everything between Byron Street and the bottom of Eastcott Hill (2) was demolished in the 1960s to make way for Swindon College, itself now awaiting demolition. An area today occupied by the Wyvern Theatre (3) was once a complex of terraced housing. Regent Place was built around 1900 and in 1946 Grace and Richard Loveridge lived at number 17, approximately where the Wyvern stage door stands today. But who lived there in 1959?

With gardens backing on to Clarence Street, yet another row of terraced housing (4) was demolished in the 1960s during road widening work in Princes Street. If you lived in one of these houses, we would like to hear from you.

The distinctive dome of the Wesleyan Methodist Central Mission Hall is visible above the Clarence Street rooftops (5). Closed in the 1970s, the building was seriously damaged by fire in 1977 and demolished in 1985 to make way for yet another new office block.

KEY
1. What is now Rudi's bar used to be the Corporation Electricity Showrooms and later the Islington Furniture Company.

2. This block of houses off Byron Street eventually made way for Swindon College and a public car park. The college itself is now awaiting demolition.

3. Another set of houses that are no longer there. This area is now home to the Wyvern Theatre.

4. A row of terraced houses eventually made way for the widening of Princes Street.

5. This shows the roof of the Weslyan Methodist Central Mission Hall, which was demolished in 1985. Offices now stand on the site.

Does our picture spark memories for you? Well we'd like to hear them. Send them to aerialmemories@swindonadvertiser.co.uk

Many readers have already sent in their memories, inspired by our historic aerial photographs. Here are a selection of them.

Shirley Keen, Westlea:
I and my family lived in Regent Place until demolition many years after. The Bristol Bus depot is clearly seen with buses in the yard and also the frontage dead opposite to what was the library. We had to move from Rolleston Street (No 50) for the building of the college. My family and myself wonder if any readers can remember neighbours of Regent Place. I’ve written down a few we can remember, but would like to hear from anyone who remembers the Morses (Stan, Mary and Violet). Also extended families George and Marg Morse and James and Ivy Morse. Please help as we’d love to meet up again with the neighbours and friends. It would certainly be an opportunity to relive and capture memories of our roots. Sadly when forced to move from Regent Place families were housed all over in different estates, thus loss of communication. Families that we remember are: Watts, Cooper, Davis, Hayward, Warman, Morris, Slater, Loveridge, Collins, Potter, Gobles and Webb. There were several more.

Julie Palmer:
The photo showed my grandparents’ house which was 7 Euclid Street. They lived there for over 50 years and it was well known in the local area for its front garden. My grandmother was very keen on flowers and gardening and my grandfather built her a front border and some window boxes that were decorated with shells. These came out every summer and were, if I remember rightly, planted with red begonias.

Pat Bint, Fairford
A very good photo of old Swindon. When I was an apprentice and attended Swindon College in the early 1960s I remember one of the areas marked being Long Johns Pancake Kitchen.

Roger Ferris:
The aerial photograph of the area around the town (Adver, Monday Jan 5) brought back some memories to me. Firstly at the very top of the photograph is the school in Euclid Street. I went there in 1951, when it was Headlands Grammar School. Within a year or two it transferred to a brand new school at the top of Cricklade Road. Names of teachers, from that time, which come to mind are: Mr T Magson (Head), Mr MacLean and Miss Peel. A little later in life, as an engineering apprentice, I was being taught again in Euclid Street school. It was now being used as an annexe to Swindon College. This was in the late 1950s and early 1960s, and I was in further education on day release from the Railway Locomotive Works. Lecturers, from that time that I recall were: Mr Tooker, Mr Kendall and Mr Cardis. On May 29, 1968 I can recall having a pint of beer at lunchtime in The Red Cow, The Red Cow was a Clinch and Co pub that stood on the corner of Princes Street and Clarence Street. Why do I recall this precise date? I and a couple of friends were waiting to board a Rimes coach in Clarence Street. We were off to see Manchester United play Benfica in the European Cup Final at Wembley that evening. Manchester United won 4-1, being the first English club to win the trophy. In the row of shops opposite the temporary library buildings there was a sports goods shop owned by the great Harold Fleming. I may still have a tennis racquet and press bought in that shop. The racquet looks somewhat different to today's models.