IN today’s Rewind we share another piece of Swindon ephemera from our archives.

The Swindon Official Guide seems to have been issued by the old borough council at around the turn of the 1970s.

It isn’t marked with a date, but a section about the building of Liden says: “The first houses will become available during 1971 and most of the development is expected to be completed by 1975.”

There are long articles about the history of the town and the arrival of the railways and other industries, but the real fascination of the 80-page book lies in the adverts and black and white photos.

One full page advertisement is for the Bon Marche department store in the town centre, which later became Debenhams.

“Your family store – where you park at the door,” runs part of the text.

It goes on to promise: “Three huge floors with everything for family shopping!

“Walk around at your leisure – you’ll be fascinated beyond belief, not only by the tens of thousands of tempting merchandise but also by the wonderful bargains offered.”

Pressed Steel Fisher in Stratton St Margaret –now BMW – proudly advertised itself as the largest car body specialist in Europe, and we carried a photo of the old frontage with which generations of workers and passers-by became familiar.

Other full page adverts were taken by electronics firm Plessey and alloy manufacturer Deloro Stellite. Smaller companies, some now distant memories and some still very much with us, also advertised.

Car body repair specialists Bamptons advertised a 24-hour recovery service based at its Stratton Road headquarters, while the AG Williams bookshop in Wood Street proudly proclaimed itself an official supplier of Ordnance Survey Maps.

The Tanwood School in Bath Road advertised itself not just as a dance academy but also as a kindergarten.

The big news in the retail world was the forthcoming Brunel Centre, and the guide included a photograph of an architect’s model looking like something from a futuristic film.

Another photo showed the law courts in the town centre, still looking fresh and shiny only a few years after being opened. Still another showed part of another modern building, Princess Margaret Hospital.

The book concluded: “At the time of preparation of this guide consideration is being given to the further expansion of Swindon to receive something like another 100,000 people from London by 1986.”