Page 22 - link magazine

22
Swindon Wide
Mechanics' plan found invalid

A new scheme for Swindon's derelict Mechanics Institute put forward
It
by owner Matthew Singh has shaved two levels off the top from a
proposed hotel and substituted bricks where the first, unsuccessful plan
in 2004 was blue glass.
But, after a blaze of publicity in
late July, it was sent back to Mr
Ole Singh by Swindon Council plan-
ners because required drawings
had not been submitted.
The tower block in the midst of
the historic railway village would
replace the theatre fly-tower built
in the 1 930s, though the new pro- The Mechanics: brooding over July's
• MOT TESTING posal retains a performance space Brunel 200 ce/ebration parade
and meeting rooms.
However Mr Singh's business
Martha Parry of the trust said,
AND REPAIRS model is questioned by the New "we were interested in Mr Singh's
Mechanics' Trust which has cam- new ideas but. after all the media
paigned for over ten years for the hype. we discovered they had been
n EXHAUST TYRES building to be refurbished as a com- returned by the planners because
munity, arts and cultural centre. so many drawings were missing.
AND The Trust has always been ham- "At 8 storeys of brick and glass
pered because the building is in towering over the railway village,
BATTERIES private hands, the result of Swin- and the absence of car parking,
6 don Council's predecessor nottak- the hotel proposal is intrusive to
4 a ing up the offer to buy it for £1 in the residents and inappropriate to the
building which is at the centre of a
n VALET early 1980s. proposed world heritage site.
This lack of public ownership
^ b has meant that the trust has not "Our plan revolves around a lot-
SERVICE been able to seek lottery support tery funded renovation which re-
n
g ^- . f o quires use of the building to cover
G C 1 or be featured in restoration pro-
grammes on TV. However they its operating costs."
n CAR HIRE HAS YOUR AIR CON. were responsible for highlighting Mechanics' Trust
the social importance of the Me-
WORKED OVERTIME
chanics' which resulted in a Grade Annual General Meeting
Free collection ALL SUMMER LONG? II* listing by English Heritage. 28 September, 7pm
Earlier this year the trust was Community Crossroads, Fleet Street
& delivery REWARD THE EFFORT granted listed building consent to Open from 6pm to see exhibition
develop a community and arts cen-
AND HAVE IT SERVICED showcasing the Brunel 200 celebrations
Free loan tre in the building.
cars (subject
to availability) Trip down memory lane
Railway historian, Rosa Matheson, has captured the traditions of
Lift to and Swindon's collective holiday break in her book Trip.
from work It all began in those who did not
1 848. when more put some money
Wash and than 500 members aside, often went
of the Mechanics' In- hungry in the weeks
vac with all stitution were invited following their un-
servicing to Oxford and trav- paid holiday.
elled on a free GWR Tri,ofeatures pho-
train. Such was the tographs of families
FISH BROTHERS success of the ex- en route and enjoy-
ing the seaside in
cursion that Trip
TO BOOK OR FIND OUT MORE PLEASE Week was born and truly British fashion:
CONTACT RONI. CHRISTINE OR ANDY ON from 1849 to the mid- sitting or strolling on
1970s, thousands of the beach fully
01793 645510 rail workers and their 1951. Sunday best on the clothed. By the late
families would holi- beach for Ron and Dot Glass 1 950s, when people
day together. travelling the length had grown more daring, knitted
FISH BROTHERS of the GWR network. swimsuits were all the rage.
The book provides an evocative
In its heyday, there was an exo-
NISSAN dus of up to 26,000 people in a record using archive postcards and
matter of hours. leaving Swindon a photographs together with the
ALL MAK 0 ghost town. Rosa Matheson's book words of trippers themselves.
For anyone who remembers Trip,
SERVICING OFFER tells the story of this most antici- it will bring a smile to their face. For
pated event, which was on a par
with Christmas in the lives of the those new to Swindon. the book
• NAME
workers. gives a great insight into a town
Traditions grew up in the town that holidayed like one enormous
• REG NO and included getting new clothes family.
Valid until 31 December 2006 and an obligatory pair of daps. Copies can be ordered from
Saving began after Christmas and 01453 883300.