Page 8 - link magazine

8 swindonlink.com • May 2012
Jubilee timepieces celebrate town’s railway connections Last chance to book a
jubilee party free of charge
The history of time itself is being celebrated in Swindon with the unveiling of a limited edition commemo- If you’re organising a street party to
rative watch to mark the Queen’s diamond jubilee.
celebrate the Queen’s sixty years
In a joint venue Steam – Museum appropriate because on the throne over the extended
of the Great Western Railway, and my forbearers came weekend between Saturday June
Swindon Jewellers, Deacon & Son, to Swindon to keep 2 and Tuesday 5 June, Swindon
have produced three versions of the trains on time.” Council has to be advised by 7 May.
the pocket watch styled on those The 17 jewel GWR The council is stripping away
used on the Great Western Railway. pocket watches much of the red tape and the cost.
Keeping accurate time was im- are: the Open Face Gwillam Lloyd, the council’s head
portant to the GWR – to keep trains (chrome plated), the of Highways and Transport, said:
running on time for customers and chrome plated Half “We are making it as simple as
to make sure employees got to work Hunter and the gold possible for people to hold street
on time. plated Half Hunt- parties to celebrate the Queen’s
The company relied on a wide er, priced between diamond jubilee.
variety of time-keeping pieces, from £69.95 and £99.99. “There is still time for people to
guards’ pocket watches and mantel The pocket watch- plan a party but the deadline for
clocks, to giant clocks on stations es are on sale at an application to close a street is
and the famous steam-powered both the museum Monday 7 May.”
hooter at Swindon Works. in Churchward and He added that if a street closure
Ian Surtees, Steam’s commercial Deacons in Wood is not necessary, permission for a
manager said: “Deacon & Son Street. party is not required, for example if
supplied timepieces to the GWR There will also be Richard Deacon holding up the Queen Elizabeth jubilee the party is held in a garden.
back in the 1850s and the museum a fourth version, very timepiece. In the background an original railway station For guidance on what’s involved
is very proud to present this ex- special limited edi- clock from the 1880s made by Deacon & Son. in organising a street party includ-
quisite pocket watch to collectors tion made of 9 carat Photo: Richard Wintle www.calyxpix.com ing a downloadable street closure
and GWR enthusiasts to mark this gold with precision Swiss move- £1,000 each will be made, to be form, see www.swindon.gov.uk/
special year.” ment. Only ten watches priced at released on Jubilee Day, 5 June. streetparties
Descendent of the Old Town
jewellers Richard Deacon added:
“It’s been a great pleasure to work Can the town cope with 3 multi-screen cinemas?
on this joint project to celebrate After standing empty and unused for six years, demolition of the old Swindon College building in the
the Queen’s diamond jubilee. The town centre will start in May, to be replaced by shops, restaurants and a six screen cinema.
project has rekindled past ties be-
tween Deacons and the railways With two cinemas already offer- The existing Greenbridge and
and helps us celebrate the town’s ing 18 screens, can Swindon sustain Cineworld cinemas offer easy
rich railway history. I feel it is so another 6 screen complex? access and free parking, and are
perhaps a more spontaneous op-
portunity, whilst the town centre
site will be less easy to get to from
the suburbs and people will be more
likely to plan for a night out with
a meal, which could make it more
for special occasions.
Empire Cinemas at Greenbridge
offers saver days on Tuesdays and
Thursdays, as well as discounts for
seniors on Wednesdays.
Cineworld at West Swindon is the
oldest of the town’s cinemas, and of-
fers 2 for 1 on Orange Wednesdays.
A further 10 per cent discount is Demolition at last for an
available to customers who sign up eyesore from the 70s
to the MyCineworld service. linson said: “There are 300,000
Cineworld is also the first cinema people living within half an hour
company to withdraw its online of Swindon, and another 3 million
booking fees, saving customers within an hour so there is potential
who book in advance 70p per ticket, to sustain many more screens. I
which West Swindon Cineworld think the new town centre cinema
manager John Kiel said has had a will be a destination attraction
very positive effect on footfall. where visitors plan a combined
Embracing the prospect of a evening out to see a film and go to
further Cineworld cinema at the one of the proposed restaurants.
old college site, John said: “It’s “The existing cinemas at Green-
wonderful for Swindon that there bridge and West Swindon certainly
will be more cinema provision in have a viable future, especially
the town – everyone will be spend- when they benefit from the new
ing more time at the cinema. There digital technologies being intro-
will be no competition for us with duced enabling different films to
the college site – the two cinemas be shown at a click of a button. We’ll
will work together to entertain the see much more varied programmes
people of Swindon and I’m con- and combined with social media
fident that the town will become and e-marketing solutions it will
a flagship for Cineworld cinemas encourage people to see films on
once again.” the large screen rather than stay at
North Swindon MP Justin Tom- home and watch TV.”

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