As we continue to celebrate the Adver’s 160th anniversary we are pleased to present 160 reasons why we love Swindon.

No-one is saying Swindon is perfect and our town has sometimes been criticised for allegedly lacking history, character, heritage and culture.

In the next few stories you will find 160 examples of why the Adver thinks Swindon and the surrounding area has all of these and more.

We celebrate the festivals, institutions, achievements, facilities and environmental aspects that – in the opinion of the newspaper that has served Swindon since 1854 – make this town and its environs a colourful, multi-faceted and community-spirited place to live and work.

Nest ten:

21 CHISELDON CAMP: Nothing remains now except a bronze memorial plaque but for almost half-a-century a sprawling military camp existed on the edge of Chiseldon where around 200,000 servicemen were based and trained before doing their bit for king and country in both world wars.

22 CHRISTCHURCH: Funded with donations from the community in the late 1840s, the Old Lady on the Hill has become a towering Swindon landmark for more than 160 years. What other church can you think of which hosts an annual beer festival?

23 CHURCHWARD: Swindon’s Victorian railway works site has been reinvented as a unique, multi-purpose urban park. Named after one of the GWR’s greatest engineers, Churchward includes listed structures which house the STEAM museum, the Designer Outlet Village, English Heritage HQ and a national archive along with classy new buildings such as the award winning eco-friendly National Trust’s Heelis HQ.

24 CINEMAS: The town is so well served with “silver screens” that in 2000 it was hailed “movie capital of England,” boasting more cinema seats per capita than anywhere else in the country. The imminent opening of a new town centre picture house adds to Swindon’s existing multi-screen facilities at Greenbridge and Shaw Ridge.

25 CITY OF TRURO: A year after rolling off Swindon’s GWR production line, the City of Truro achieved something utterly, world beatingly unique… becoming the first man-made machine in history to travel at 100mph under its own volition. GWR Loco 3440 hit a staggering 102.3mph on the Plymouth to Paddington run in May, 1904.

26 CLOUTS WOOD: Its steep terrain having prevented agricultural use, Clouts Wood Nature Reserve on the edge of Wroughton is a sloping wildlife haven where water springs and marshy areas can be found alongside tumbling streams, abandoned watercress beds and gnarled, hollowed trunks.

27 COATE ARBORETUM: Hundreds of trees from all over the world comprise Swindon’s “secret garden” which has quietly blossomed since 1986 into a glorious and colourful swathe of woodland for contemplation and relaxation far from the madding crowd.

28 COATE WATER: An ever popular spot since becoming a country park 100 years ago, Coate Water – with its two man-made lagoons – is many things to many people; from dog walkers to anglers, joggers to nature lovers. In 1976 it became Wiltshire’s first Local Nature Reserve and it is also a Site of Special Scientific Interest owing to its diverse range of wildlife and wildflower meadows.

29 COATE WATER RAILWAY: Run by the North Wilts Model Engineering Society since the early 1960s, the half-a-mile of track, complete with bridges, signal box and carriage shed, is an absolute hoot for anyone – children and adults alike - who enjoys riding on a miniature train around a cosy corner of tree-lined countryside.