OUR colour image was taken on the morning of Friday, September 16, 1994.

The black and white one appeared with a story we ran 53 years ago today - Friday, June 5, 1964.

Both show the Hermitage in Old Town, one of the town’s great old houses.

Sitting off High Street, roughly on the site now occupied by the modern sheltered housing complex of the same name, the old structure is known to have been in existence by the 1840s.

For many years it was home to a succession of well-to-do local professionals, but it was subsequently bought by the old Swindon Corporation.

Our piece in June of 1964 said the purchase had taken place the year before, and revealed that the Hermitage was to be a short-stay home for 10 to 12 able-bodied elderly people.

We said: “The guests, who will be able to spend anything from two to eight weeks at the home, will pay a weekly contribution assessed according to their means.

“In return, they will be looked after by a competent staff who will do all in their power to make them happy and comfortable.”

Residents were to remain at the home until long-term solutions to their needs were found.

Any alterations needed to prepare the building for its new role were evidently minimal, as it had been used as a nursing home before being bought by the corporation.

Our reporter wrote: “The home is approached by a long sweeping drive and stands in its own grounds with a large lawn and garden, including a revolving sun house.

“It is a tall, stone-built house surrounded by trees, and has a friendly atmosphere.

“I was welcomed by the warden, Mrs Dorothy Evans, who showed me around the 16 rooms.

“The first impression is one of spaciousness. The rooms are large with big windows. There is gay, colourful wallpaper in the corridors and most of the downstairs rooms.

“A thick carpet covers the floor of the lounge, and easy chairs abound. In another sitting room stands a large screen television set, and in the dining room are several tables for four – Mrs Evans explained that it was thought this would be more homely.”

The Hermitage continued to operate as a care home for many years – we pictured a group of residents and staff as late as 1988 – but thanks to falling usage and spiralling maintenance costs it was closed by the 1990s.

Our photographer was there to record the beginning of the demolition process on September 16, 1994, by which time the building had long resembled a haunted house from some classic English ghost story.