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.

70 LETHBRIDGE 10K: One of the town’s most popular sporting events, the early June run, which raises funds for Lethbridge school, has been going for well over two decades. Along footpaths, trails, an old railway track and country roads it is fun run for all the family.

71 LIDDINGTON CASTLE: The highest point in the Borough of Swindon (909ft) Liddington Castle is one of the country’s oldest hill forts, dating to the Late Bronze Age nearly 3,000 years ago. Towering over M4 Junction 15 it is reputedly the 5th Century site of the Briton’s – King Arthur’s? – final victory over the invading Saxons.

72 LIDEN LAGOON: Sarsen stones are attractively scattered around the secluded lagoon off Liden Drive. Water fowl, herons, swans and other birds share this often solitary spot in Swindon’s urban sprawl with die-hard anglers. Lake-side benches bear short “watery” poems carved into the wood.

73 LINK CENTRE: Swindon’s ice arena is home to the Wildcats hockey team and a magnet for both novices and experienced skaters keen for some ice action. Several international class skaters have developed their skills on the rink. Other facilities include a climbing wall, swimming pool and fitness centre. 74LITTLE BIG FESTIVAL: Bringing a variety of activities and events under one umbrella, The Little Big Festival, launched at the Town Gardens last year, involves the participation of a raft of local clubs and organisations. Music, arts, sport and culture all in one go!

75 LOCAL HISTORY AUTHORS: Swindon has been well served with such writers since Advertiser founder William Morris in 1855 published Reminiscences, Notes and Relics of Ye Old Wiltshire Town. Frederick Large, Mark Child, Peter Sheldon, Rosa Matheson, Joseph Silto, Dick Mattick and others have all contribute to our history and heritage.

76 LOCAL GIGS: A swift glance at the Adver’s Thursday music column in The Entertainer pullout reveals a healthy live music scene with performers of many genres – alt country, hard rock, folk, r’n’b and occasional splashes of reggae – performing at a string of Swindon’s pubs.

77 LYDIARD HOUSE: Remodelled 270 years ago from a mediaeval pile, palatial Lydiard House – one of Wiltshire’s finest secular buildings – has been painstakingly restored to its 18th Century majesty ever since it was acquired in ruinous state by Swindon council in 1943.

78 LYDIARD PARK: Adjoining Lydiard House is its historic estate – 260 acres of picturesque, picnic-friendly parkland which has recently undergone a multi-million pound regeneration that has seen the restoration of both its vanished lake and its Georgian ornamental fruit and flower garden.

79 MAGIC ROUNDABOUT: Some drivers avoid it like the plague, and it’s certainly earned some national notoriety over the years, but the Magic Roundabout is a bold, audacious, pioneering and quite brilliant work of civil engineering that was built in 1972 to solve an increasingly difficult transportation problem caused by the merging of five key roads onto one spot next to the County Ground. It was given its name by the Adver.

More to follow

We are not saying, by any stretch, that our list of 160 Reasons Why We Love Swindon is definitive. Indeed, a number of possible inclusions were omitted after careful consideration. Others which perhaps should have made the supplement but have not have simply fallen under the radar. If you feel we have missed out any worthy inclusions please let us know and we will be happy to incorporate them in a follow-up article.
Please email: leightonbarry@ymail.com or write to Reasons We Love Swindon, Swindon Advertiser, 100 Victoria Road, Swindon, SN1 3BE