On the verge of a fresh start

Demolition had already begun with a small cluster of terraces on the corner of Weymouth Street (1). Built in the 1870s, the site of the former housing was used as an unofficial car park when this photograph was taken in 1959.

The transformation would continue with the creation of Fleming Way, named in honour of former Swindon Town striker Harold Fleming. This busy bus terminus cut a swath through housing in Cheltenham and Gloucester Streets (2).

Today the Zurich Tri Centre buildings stand on the site of houses once bounded by Wellington and Gloucester Streets (3). If you have memories of people who lived in these streets, please let us know.

Farnsby Street, at the top of this photograph, numbered 57 houses. The Wesley School Rooms stood on the corner of Faringdon Road, now dominated by the recently refurbished Bridge House (4). Catherine, Carr and Vilett Streets all made room for the multi-storey car park and the Murray John building. Named after Swindon’s visionary Town Clerk, David Murray John, today this iconic 1970s building dominates the Swindon skyline (5).

Still recognisable today is the distinctive building at the Bridge Street crossroads (6). The Glass House bar was home to Burtons the tailors in 1959. In 1957 Prime Minister Harold Macmillan told the British public they had ‘never had it so good.’ While Regent Street was dominated by super store old timers McIlroys and Morses, there was a myriad of other smaller businesses in neighbouring streets. Who remembers Harry and Sidney Godden’s tobacconists in Cheltenham Street? Sidney F. Radford ran a dance school at 71 Cheltenham Street and E.D. Major a cycle repair workshop at 1 Weymouth Street.

Did you ever pop into Beales cafe for a cuppa or maybe the Mechanics Arms for a pint?

KEY
1. Demolished buildings in Weymouth Street, used as an unofficial car park when this picture was taken.

2. Terraced houses in Cheltenham Street and Gloucester Street.

3. Houses in Wellington Street and Gloucester Street, which have now made way for Zurich buildings.

4. The recently refurbished Bridge House now occupies the site where the Wesley School Rooms once stood.

5. Catherine, Carr and Vilett Streets – now home to a multi-storey car park and the David Murray John Tower.

6. The Bridge Street crossroads, now the hub of Swindon’s night-time social scene.

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

Peter Goldsworthy, Swindon:
With reference to the aerial photo on January 19 you have brought back many memories of my childhood and teenage years

Where you have placed the number 2 is actually Gloucester Terrace, not Street.

I think Gloucester Street went from the other side of main road to the railway works or else it was the one with Beales Café on the corner, I cannot be absolutely sure.

If you look at the number 2 in the photo you will see slightly to the left a front garden with no front wall.

That is number 8 Gloucester Terrace and was my grandmother Goldsworthy’s home.

Her daughter Dolly’s husband, Arthur Gee, turned the front of the house and that garden into his bicycle shop, hence the missing wall to display cycles for sale.

Almost opposite their bike shop, on the triangle, was a post office.

The long oblong buildings with blinds out over the footpath housed Duck Son and Pinker’s music store, also a camera shop and, I believe, Tunleys paints and wall papers.

On the opposite side of the road was Devon Savories, loved for their Wiltshire faggots – yum yum!

Your writer said that Catherine Street had to demolished to make way for the Brunel North Car Park – this is almost correct as, although Catherine Street is actually still there – the only postal addresses are our salon, Goldsworthys hairdressing, at number 1 and our flats at number 2.

However, further up the picture it is very nice to see our old salon building which was compulsorily purchased and was demolished to make way for the car park.

The salon with a ladies fashion shop above was at numbers 17 and 18 on the corner of Villet Street and Catherine Street.

Funnily enough, our Villett Street salon was formerly Sargents garden tool shop and the Catherine Street salon was their main tool store.

Norman Hutt, Swindon:
Catherine Street, as pictured on January 19, was my childhood home.

Most names were known, just a few were Fisher, Collins, James and, next door, Cherry.

Crockers was the local general provisions store on the corner with Villet Street.

A motor car was a rarity, and we played many games in the road outside business hours. The Ice Cold Storage Works was opposite us, and lorries came and went there.

At the end of the street was a sloped path which led up to the canal path.

This was popular to ride down on a home-made bogey as we called it, steering it with your feet and a rope on the front axle, with the occasional mishap.

Many more memories of a very different time.

Gerald Mason, Swindon:
I was born in December 1934 and I lived with my mother and father and brother at No 18 Regent Place, as pictured in the Advertiser on January 5.

My grandmother also lived at No 32 and I can also remember some of the people that lived around us.

At No 17 were Tony and Norman Loverage and Mr Johnson was at No 19.

Other neighbours were Mrs Cooper, the Dobsons, the Edwards, Mrs Jefkins, J Potter, Mrs Clarke, also the Weeks family, Mr and Mrs Edwards, Mrs Warman, Mr and Mrs Davies and Shelie and Brian.

There was Day’s coal yard, they also had a fruit and veg shop in Regent's Street.

There was also a chapel opposite our house. We went to chapel every Sunday also we went to Lantern Slides in the evenings.

Robert Loss:
It was lovely to see the aerial photograph in the Swindon Advertiser on January 19. My grandfather, Norman Ford, and later my uncle ran the café at 61 Wellington Street from the late 1920s until the early 1980s. They lived on the premises for all of that time. In the photo, the café was in the block marked “3” and on the corner of Milford St opposite Tunley’s artist’s and paint shop which is quite visible. The story from my uncle is that my grandfather, on his way to the First World War front visited the café and thought to himself, “when I come back, I would like this café as a business.” He was invalided out of the war but, thankfully, survived and indeed did run the business for about 40 years. Other memories of the area around Wellington Street are that next to the café there was originally a taxi company and then a Gents hairdresser in the 1960s run by John Piff and Ernie Hunt. Quite often the Swindon Town FC – then youngsters – namely Don Rogers and Bobby Woodruff would be seen there. Also in the Wellington Street block there was a launderette and at the end there was a post office and later Stads the Publishers. On the corner of the block in Milford Street there was the annex of The Great Western Hotel and nearby was the cycle shop in Cheltenham Street belonging to Mr Gee (Marked “2” in your photo). There were so many business in that area, but to mention a few, Duck, Son & Pinker – (Musical Instruments) Steve’s Cameras and various bed and breakfast establishments. I enclose a photo of Fords Café taken in the 1960s.