The County Ground (1), home to Swindon Town FC since 1896, takes pride of place in this week’s photograph of Swindon 50 years ago.

The 1958/59 season saw Swindon Town playing in the new Division Three. Bob Edward was top scorer with nine goals to his credit that season and a total of 69 during his time at the County Ground. This was the season manager Bert Head recruited Ernie Hunt, the club’s youngest signing at 16 years and 182 days, to what later became known as Bert’s Babes.

Swindon Town finished the season in a disappointing 15th position, although well clear of the relegation zone. With an average home crowd of over 11,300 were you a regular on the terraces during the 1950s? If so we’d like to hear from you.

Development along Shrivenham Road (2) had begun in the 1920s. Building to the east of Drove Road began in the 1930s although this photograph reveals Burford Avenue (3) was still under construction in 1959.

Drove Road (4) was an ancient route into the old town of Swindon along which drovers brought their animals to market. The modern routes of Queens Drive and Drakes Way (5) have yet to make an appearance.

A predecessor of the Magic Roundabout (6) was built close to the site of the former Swindon Wharf and the Drove Road Bridge that crossed the Wilts and Berks Canal. This traffic control complex of a roundabout contained by five smaller ones was built in 1972 to the designs of Frank Blackmore, traffic engineer and inventor of the mini roundabout.

Drove Infants School opened in 1941 and Drove Girls Secondary (7) in 1946. If you were in the Class of 1959 we’d like to hear from you.

Key
1 -It’s still there today and doesn’t look a great deal different – this is the County Ground, home of Swindon Town Football Club

2 - Houses along Shrivenham Road. This development began in the 1920s

3 - Burford Avenue, which was still being built when this picture was taken in 1959

4 - Drove Road, which was an ancient route into Old Town and has always been a busy road

5 - The busy thoroughfares that are Queens Drive and Drakes Way had yet to make an appearance in 1959

6 - The site of what would become Swindon’s famous Magic Roundabout

7 - The site of Drove Infants and Drove Girls Secondary Schools