AS January of 1976 entered its second full week, Swindon Advertiser readers were treated to views of the town from its new tallest structure.

We said: “Towering head and shoulders above Swindon with its head almost in the clouds is Swindon’s latest prestige building.

“But the man after whom the building has been named, David Murray John, was very far from having his head in the clouds.

“He has been described as then architect of the new Swindon, and certainly earned the honour of having his name placed on Swindon’s tallest building.”

David Murray John was, of course the town clerk whose eye on the future paved the way for Swindon’s diversification into new industries following World War Two. He had died in 1974.

Our photographer was allowed to take photographs from the newly laid 18th of 21 planned floors, and captured images of scenery including the Brunel Centre, the old Railway Museum and parts of the Railway Village.

Other tall buildings, notably the Hambro Life office block, had long since been dwarfed by the tower.

We added: “The building stands high among Wiltshire’s tallest buildings, though Salisbury Cathedral still beats it. But how many people get the chance to admire the view from the top of its famous spire?”

If the tower was an inspiring symbol of the future, another hint of things to come that week was rather less hopeful.

It came courtesy of three union officials from turntable manufacturer Garrard, who returned exhausted from a whistle-stop tour of American hi-fi dealers.

Mary Rogers, Bill Baxter and June Little headed across the Atlantic at the behest of managing director Derek Moon. He wanted them to gather insights into the competition facing Garrard, which had 2,300 staff in Swindon.

There had been a time when the American market gobbled up four out of every five items produced by Garrard, but those days were gone.

As the three union officials discovered during a 10,000-mile odyssey, cheaper rivals were a major threat.

Bill Baxter said: “We found that unlike in the UK, where prices are generally fixed at a recommended level, the situation in the States is absolutely cut-throat.

“There is not only aggressive competition between one dealer and another, but between Japanese and home-based manufacturers of similar equipment.”

Mary Rogers said: “We now know where we stand. If we are to put Garrard back where it belongs we have got to produce the right models, with the right quality at the right price.”

As most Rewind readers will know, the superb quality of Garrard’s wares ultimately proved no match for cut-price competition. The firm was sold three years later and dwindled over subsequent years before vanishing from Swindon in the early 1990s.

Another old Swindon factory which readers may remember was clothing manufacturer Solecard, which was based in Holbrook Street and specialised in making trousers.

Disaster struck there 40 years ago this week, with a fire wreaking havoc.

“Half the factory was reduced to a charred ruin and 6,000 pairs of trousers were lost,” we said.

“Today, more than 40 workers were temporarily jobless as firm’s officials counted the cost of the disaster.

“A patrolling policeman was alerted just after 6pm when he heard the factory’s burglar alarm and saw smoke pouring from ventilation ducts.”

It was thought that an electrical fault had started the fire, and the total loss was estimated at £100,000.

That was a huge sum in 1976, as a pound went a lot further than it does in 2016.

For a comparison we need look no further than another story from that week, about a man called Graham Ponting whose prize in a social club raffle was a trolley dash in a Gorse Hill supermarket.

The 36-year-old Cricklade resident was given two minutes to gather as much as he could. We said: “Shoppers laughed and jumped out of the way as Graham raced around the shelves, coattails flying, pouring a stream of groceries and household goods into the trolleys.

“He’d grabbed soap powders, tins of ham and salmon, bags of bulk frozen fish and vegetables, a gallon of cooking oil, tinned fruit, blankets, sheets, towels, saucepans, frying pans, breakfast cereals, a chicken, cream, and tins of biscuits.”

When the total value of the haul, which filled six trolleys and included 56 pounds of potatoes, was rung through the till it came to a princely £67.57.

Also in the news was the recently-opened Oasis Leisure Centre, where “amorous couples and vandals” were spoiling the fun according to Thamesdown councillor Leslie Baxter.

Following a fact-finding mission he reported: “The bar areas were inhabited by lots of young people canoodling and sitting on each other’s laps.

“And the floors were ankle deep in litter because the bins are not adequate. I have also heard that a washbasin has been smashed and a set of bowling woods is missing.

“We have got to educate youth. We could use the Press and Thamesdown News – and when these do not work the only way is to put these people outside.”