Page 21 - link magazine

Town’s fantastic heritage magazine covers Swindon’s blonde bombshell
What better place to unveil the second edition of Swindon Heritage than at the prestigious Swindon Festival of Literature?
The team of three local historians “The response to our first edition Mitchell tells of her outrage
and writers - Graham Carter, Mark published in February has been amaz- when she realised the actress
Sutton and Frances Bevan - will take ing,” said Frances. “The magazine is had no lasting memorial in Swindon Wide
their place among the festival literati now on sale at twelve outlets in town her home town, and what she
on Thursday 9 May in Swindon Arts and readers can also subscribe online.” did next.
Centre Studio where they will reveal Swindon born Diana Dors is the Bart Hathaway, former
the trials and tribulations of produc- cover girl on the summer edition. The drummer in the Johnnie Stiles
ing a unique home grown magazine history of Diana Fluck, her real name, band, reminisces about the
focussed on the wealth of heritage is revealed alongside the story of her dance band era in Swindon
in the town. colourful career, whilst sculptress Enid during the 1940s and 50s.
Diana Dors, the sculpture by John Clinch, given ample support as she hovers Other articles include a trip
ready to take her permanent position at Shaw Ridge Leisure Park in 1991. Photo: on the buses down memory
Richard Wintle www.calyxpix.com lane and a stunning collec-
tion of photographs taken
inside Swindon Railway
Works a year before it closed.
Editor Graham Carter says
the quality of the second
edition matches the first.
“We are confident we have
something to appeal to everyone in- to help with their 170th anniversary
terested in the heritage of Swindon. In celebrations later in the summer.”
fact the problem was deciding which You can catch up with the Swindon
stories to leave out.” Heritage team at Pen and Paper, 113
Co-founder Mark Sutton said recep- Victoria Road where they will be
tion to the magazine across the town launching the summer edition on
has been warm. “We have received Saturday 14 May, 12noon to 3pm.
fantastic support from members of the See more at www.swindonheritage.
Swindon & District History Network com or Facebook: SwindonHeritage
and Arkells Brewery have called on us Twitter: @SwindonHeritage

Central Swindon Through Time
The latest title by Mark Child, historian and architectural and topographical
writer, below, contains a fascinating selection of photographs tracing some
of the many ways in which central Swindon has changed and developed
over the last century.
Swindon Central is the re-
tail core of the modern town
and its residential environs.
It began in the 1840s,
when the model village for
railway workers and their
families was laid out as a
self-contained settlement
on marshy ground to the
north of Swindon hill.
By the 1860s little pockets STEAM
of development had been
established around its edges
and roads were constructed Museum of the Great Western Railway
to link them together. By the
mid-1880s, New Swindon on A First Class Day Out
the plain had twice the built-
up area of Old Swindon on the hill. of opportunity, entrepreneurialism
Industrial Swindon expanded and need, into the focus of commerce
southwards, slowly pushing a finger and trade. STEAM – Museum of the Great Western Railway,
of red brick and Bath stone dressings Central Swindon Through Time is Fire Fly Avenue, Swindon SN2 2EY
towards the hill. published by Amberley Publishing Tel: 01793 466636
Mark’s book explores the line of and is filled with fascinating images www.steam-museum.org.uk
this exploration, from its base in the showing what the town was like, what
railway village to the point where it some of those buildings look like now, www.facebook.com/steammuseum
set out to climb into Old Town. Central and what has replaced them where
Swindon is where modern Swindon the originals have been demolished.
was born out of blood, sweat, tears It is available for £9.99 from www. D15352/13
and fiery furnaces, and developed out amberleybooks.com
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