Page 13 - link magazine

swindonlink.com • March 2011 13
Life, soul, and jobs being restored Bradon Forest

at Blunsdon Abbey Park 30 year reunion
Did you leave the school in 1981?
In Victorian days parts of North Swindon were the domain of the Former pupils are organising a
gentry at Blunsdon Abbey house before a fire destroyed the building reunion at The Old Bank in Old
and all its contents in 1904. Town on Friday 13 May, 7.30pm.
The building was
deemed too expen- Everyone is welcome. For details Don’t move out.. Move Up!
sive to bring it back call Tania Currie on 07846 040323 With iCloft, if you have a roof like this
then you are perfect for
into use but over a or mail: [email protected] our loft conversion system.
century later, Adam
Griffin, the current Scrapstore in the West www.icloft.com 07413314726
owner and man- Swindon Scrapstore reopens on
aging director of Tuesday 1 March, at Office Clear-
residential homes ance Wholesale, Bay 5, Westmead
business Pine Drive, Westlea.
View Parks Ltd, For details call 513982.
has commenced the
restoration of the
remaining parts of
the North Swindon Country house splendour before disaster struck
landmark. in the early 20th Century
“We started work just before Mr Goodearl has just celebrated his
Christmas, and we’re aiming for ninetieth birthday and still lives on
completion in late spring,” said the Park. Adam said, “he likes what’s
Adam. “The Abbey’s got oodles of happening to the old house and the
history, and brings something dif- site, and still gives us advice.”
ferent to the park. Its restoration is As for the popularity of the site
a key part of the investment we’re in an area of intense development
making to improve the infrastruc- competition, Adam is confident that
ture for the residents, and provide a residential park lifestyle is here
an attractive place for retired people to stay. He said, “it appeals to the
to downsize to.” over-50s looking for easy living in
Once complete the abbey house single storey accommodation and
will provide new headquarters for offers a means for retired people to
Pine View Parks, plus a spacious live economically, keeping money
community room for use by park in the bank from the sale of their
residents. Adam said, “We’re so larger houses.”
taken with this building and the For details of living at the park,
location that we have decided to see the advert on the right.
move the whole of our adminis- • See more pictures at www.swin-
trative function from Staines in donlink.com
Middlesex. As well as us-
ing local tradespeople in
the restoration work, we’ll
also be recruiting accounts,
sales, secretarial and book-
keeping staff from the
summer onwards.”
The grounds have been a
residential park since 1954,
when a Mr Maurice Goo-
dearl purchased the site.
Blunsdon Abbey in the 1960s

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