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.

100 RADNOR STREET CEMETERY: Surrounded by terraced houses, Radnor Street Cemetery, with its delightful chapel and war memorial, is a nature-rich urban haven, an atmospheric place of quiet contemplation that – with 86 World War One burials, and 14 from World War Two – has become a dedicated Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery.

101 RAILWAY VILLAGE: An outstanding industrial housing complex, the Railway Village was built by the GWR between 1840 and 1880. With its symmetrical grids and terraces it has been described as of national and international importance and is a conservation area of “outstanding interest.”

102 RAILWAY FESTIVAL: Some of the most powerful locomotives ever built were made in Swindon. Now some of the smallest can be found at the old Swindon railworks during the Swindon Railway Festival, which has been at STEAM for 13 years. Pop producer and steam buff Pete Waterman invariably attends.

103 REDBRICK HERITAGE: Swindon wasn’t just a railway town it was also a redbrick town. Dozens of brickworks tapped into the Kimmeridge clay as Swindon swiftly grew around the GWR, creating streets of rusty coloured buildings that still, on sunny evenings, turn a delightful shade of orangey-pink.

104 REGGAE GARDEN: World music gigs that were for many years a feature at the Town Gardens have sadly ended but we now have the annual late summer Reggae Garden that brings the rootsy rhythms and funky grooves of Jamaica right onto our doorstep.

105 RENAULT CENTRE: We are not blessed with many architectural splendours but Sir Norman Foster’s award winning, former Renault Centre in West Swindon is certainly one. Opened in 1983, this futuristic steel and glass structure was awarded Grade II listed status in 2013 – unusual for a comparatively modern building.

106 RESEARCH COUNCILS: From engineering to biology, space exploration to social studies, science to humanities, six of the UK’s seven research councils are based at North Star, Swindon. The public funded agencies co-ordinate and fund a vast range of national and internationally important projects.

107 RICHARD JEFFERIES SOCIETY/MUSEUM: Best known for his depictions of rural life that were inspired by the countryside adjoining Swindon, the memory and legacy of Richard Jefferies (1848-1887) are championed both by a society of dedicated followers and a museum at his former home at Coate which honour his life and work

108 THE RIDGEWAY: Reputedly the oldest road in Britain and possibly Europe, having been used for around 5,000 years, the Ridgeway passes a few miles south of Swindon. The 85-mile broad track on top of a chalk downland ridge runs close to Wroughton, Chiseldon and Bishopstone on its way from Overton Hill near Avebury to Ivinghoe Beacon near Dunstable

109 RIVER RAY PARKWAY: A walkway that connects urban Swindon with its rural fringes while partly following both the River Ray and a dismantled railway line. From Moulden Hill in the north to Coate Water in the south, it is a designated wildlife site that features woodlands, meadows, marsh and fen. You may even spot an otter.

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