Once again we need the help of Swindonians who remember the town 50 years ago – or possibly even earlier!

Believed to predate our current 50s series of photographs, this aerial shot across the County Ground reveals features long gone, including what appears to be an expanse of water (1).

This bird’s eye view vividly illustrates the frenzy of Victorian building that created New Swindon, as the town grew to keep pace with developments at the GWR works. Just visible above the rooftops is the line of Regent Street, with the Town Hall and the Baptist Tabernacle at Regent Circus (2).

If you can identify a building of interest demolished in an earlier phase of regeneration, please write to us at Aerial memories, Swindon Advertiser, 100 Victoria Road, Swindon SN1 3BE or email us on aerialmemories@swindonadvertiser.co.uk.

The Broad Street (3) area was built around 1900 with streets named after prominent Liberal politicians – Gladstone, Graham, Rosebery and Salisbury, possibly influenced by Swindon’s own local Liberal Levi Lapper Morse.

St Luke’s, a sister church of St Mark’s, opened in 1903 in temporary accommodation.

A new church, designed by WAH Masters in the style of the 15th century, was dedicated in 1911.

The 21-acre County Ground site opened in 1893. Fifteen years later Kelly’s Directory describes the complex as comprising ‘a bicycle track of 3 laps to the mile, and in addition to the space devoted to football and cricket, there is a Galloway racecourse and a polo ground.’

In Swindon Town’s first season at the County Ground crowds averaged 3,000. However 6,000 were on the terraces on Saturday October 17, 1896 to watch Swindon beat their old adversary Reading 4-1. Goalscorers were Richie Cox and Joey Murray with David Skea getting two past the Reading goalkeeper.

Kingsdown brewer Thomas Arkell became one of Swindon Town’s earliest creditors when he lent the club £300 in 1896 to build a stand on the north side of the pitch.

The neighbouring cricket ground (4) already had its own architectural masterpiece. The cricket pavilion, designed by WH Read and EH Pritchett, cost £850 in 1893 with dressing rooms for the competitors costing a further £450.

The two storey building boasts seven bays with a cast iron arcade of slim columns and was awarded a Grade II listing in 1986.

KEY
1. What is this expanse of water, that is now long gone?
2. Regent Street, with the Baptist Tabernacle
3. The Broad Street area, with roads named after Liberal politicians
4. The cricket ground, with its pavilion, next to the football stadium at the County Ground