Are there too many Swindons? (From Swindon Advertiser)

Are there too many Swindons?

11:23am Tuesday 1st April 2008 in

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CALLS are being made to change Swindon's name - so that a satellite navigation system does not get confused.

Lilo Fopra Electronics manufactures and sells sat-nav systems in the Far East.

In recent weeks it has had complaints from a number of customers hoping to head for Swindon's Gloucestershire namesake.

But because their systems work differently in the UK, they end up here in Wiltshire.

Now the company's boss has written a letter to bureaucrats at the European Union asking the body to order a rethink on the town's name.

"You can imagine customer disappointment at arriving in Swindon," said the company's letter to the EU, which the Adver has seen.

"They had hoped to enjoy the beautiful surroundings of a tiny village, perhaps planning to stop off for a fish and chips or some pint of beer.

"But when they arrive in your Swindon they make very sad.

"They see your town is nice.

"Many tell us they like all your waters. Oasis and Coat.

"But it is not village they saw on internetty. They want that one.

"We sell many many navigation devices. To make them all right and send customer to right Swindon, not yours, will cost us much.

"Can you make Wiltshire Swindon change name?

"Could it be Swindone?

"It is only one letter extra on name, our computer would see it clear and no-one in Great Briton would know.

"If you did this our customers would not get lost on way."

The Swindon we are being confused with lies north west of Cheltenham, is home to about 1,450 people and stands 34 miles from here.

Mentioned in the Domesday Book, the village sprung up around the 12th Century church, which has a bell tower and six unequally sized walls.

It remained primarily an agricultural community until the 1960s when overspill from Cheltenham started to absorb the village.

Our Swindon was also named in the Domesday book, as Suindune, a name believed to be derived from the Anglo-Saxon words swine and dun, meaning pig hill.

It was a simple market town until the industrial revolution when canals and later trains led to rapid expansion.

Loo Farpil, who works at the EU, said: "Requests to change the spelling of a town's name do not usually come to us. But when they do we carefully consider them.

"This request, however, seems to be complete gibberish.

"I think we will take great pleasure in telling this company that it can whistle.

"Swindon will not become Swindone.

"Unless it wants to."