Page 18 - link magazine

Swindon Wide

Trust Swindon’s history to produce the unexpected - The Ovaltineys

History column by Graham Carter of his generation. flat with his cat and - wait for
of Swindon Heritage magazine The Winter 2016 edition also it - 451 typewriters, and is the
includes an in-depth interview country’s leading authority on the
Even as the editor of Swindon with a remarkable Swindon man, machine’s intriguing social history.
Heritage I have become accustomed Lord Joffe of Liddington, who was a Word processors and computers
to it delivering surprises, and personal friend of Nelson Mandela. may have made typewriters
our latest magazine – our 16th As a key lawyer during the obsolete, and the future of local
quarterly edition – has a few of historic Rivonia Trial in the 1960s, libraries is also uncertain, thanks
them up its sleeves. Joffe helped to save Mandela from to swathing cuts proposed by
The first is the cover story about the death penalty, and he told us Swindon Borough Council.
The Ovaltineys, an instantly the story of his own journey as So a history of the spread of
recognisable advertising jingle to a political refugee, which ends reading rooms in the expanding
people of a certain age, but one in Swindon, where he helped to new town of Swindon is a timely
that was groundbreaking in its time. reshape the face of the town. article indeed.
Effectively the first mass Now 84, he was a co-founder of The reading rooms were an
communication advertising Hambro Life, a key local employer extension of the pioneering
campaign on Britain’s first that later became Allied Dunbar, Mechanics’ Institute, which
commercial wireless station, Radio and he told us why the town has effectively gave the town a public
Luxembourg, we were surprised to inspired him to work for the future library, six years before they were
discover The Ovaltineys were the of local people. officially invented.
invention of a Swindon-born man. The magazine also tells of a The history books say Britain’s
Harry Hemsley, who was born in Swindon engine driver who helped first public library was opened in 20th
Regent Street in 1877, wrote the to thwart an attempt on the life Birmingham in 1850, but Swindon centuries.
tune, did the voices and even drew of Queen Victoria in 1882, and railwaymen had access to one as Swindon Heritage was conceived
the portraits of The Ovaltineys. looks at the rebirth of a former early as 1844, and since the vast as a showcase for the town’s proud
But there’s even more to his Rodbourne cinema. majority of the town were GWR history, and we think our latest
story because he was also an Meanwhile, we take a look at the employees or related to one, it was edition provides plenty of reasons
accomplished entertainer and came life of a ‘forgotten’ Swindon author a public library in all but name. to be proud of our achievements,
from a famous showbiz family. and his role in the Spanish Civil With our councillors unable to and also reasons why the town
His father, William, a former War, discover a local connection provide an adequate library service should set its ambitions higher
Swindon railwaymen who started to Britain’s worst ever maritime to Swindon residents in the 21st in the present and in the future.
painted sets in the Mechanics’ disaster, and visit a Stratton man century, it is thought-provoking to Subscribe or buy individual copies
Institute theatre, went on to with a remarkable collection. discover how we led the country of Swindon Heritage magazine at
become the foremost set designer Nick Fisher lives in a tiny studio in library provision in the 19th and www.swindonheritage.com

David Hawkins
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18 swindonlink.com n January 2017

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