Things you were able to do in 1980s in Swindon but can't do now

Before the turn of the Millenium, before smartphones and social media, before all the new housing and regeneration projects, Swindon looked very different.

We asked about what you could do in the town back in the 1980s that you could not do now - and received hundreds of responses.

The much-missed Oasis Leisure Centre came up several times, as did popular shops like McIlroys which are no longer part of the town’s high street.

Michael Anstey said: "Swim at the Oasis..."

Jane Titchener continued: "...and go to the roller disco there on a Saturday night..."

Darren Coram added: "...and check the lockers for 50ps to spend in the burger bar."

Juno Dalchau said: "Go and have fun in the Oasis. Swindon has seriously gone downhill for things to do."

McIlroys

Fleet Street Market came up a few times, with Chanda Singh remembering how you could "buy a dodgy cheap England shell suit".

Strolling through the town centre as it once was proved to be the most nostalgic memory for those alive at the time, many of whom now lamented the current state of the area.

Claudia Muscat said you can't "go shopping at the market and in decent department stores" in Swindon any more, though a new market is in Wharf Green on certain Fridays and Saturdays.

Carol Glidewell had a list of retailers she used to enjoy visiting: "Go to Route 66 , Fleet Street market, Wimpy, and spend a day wandering around shops as there were actual open shops then, like Woolies, and shoe shops."

Simon Hughes agreed: "Ah the days when Swindon had a shopping center with actual shops in it, not just empty shops."

Fleet Street Market in 1989

Everyone has their old regular routines they used to follow during trips into town.

Janice Davis added: "Enjoying The Savoy as a cinema then going to the lemon place for fish and chips."

Jo Renfrey said: "Get a Woolworths pic-and-mix and listen to a cassette tape."

Andy McMullin recalled: "Walk around town, going to the shops. Listen to records in Bon Marche or the record shops on Commercial Road."

Alan Every enjoyed spending "Saturday afternoons in Red Carpet Records followed by The Purple Hearts at the British Rail club".

Tracie Cox said: "Buy a treat from Devon Savouries then spend most Saturday afternoons in Rhapsody. Also seeing great bands in Brunel Rooms. Miss those days!"

Martin Ellis said: "Go to The Atrium, The Brunel Rooms, Pizza Express in town, and go to Vadim's."

The Savoy cinema, before it was turned into a Wetherspoons

Some feared that the area has become less safe and more run-down in the last 50 years.

Paul Williams said you could "have a good and safe night out" back in the '80s - but can't now.

Angie Read added: "[You could] walk around at night without so much danger." and Wayne Hunt agreed: "Walk in town at night and feel safe."

It wasn't just at night, either - Alessandra James said: "Walk safely around town centre" - or solely in the centre.

Sue Janet said: "Cycle as a kid all over swindon feeling safe" and Bridget Lambert suggested: "Walk the streets without being attacked."

Adver readers think walking and cycling on Swindon's streets day or night was safer in the 1980s

Swindon's roads came in for a fair amount of criticism.

Gary Pollock said: "You could drive somewhere with no roadworks and traffic everywhere."

Julian Robinson said: "Drive through Westlea with no ongoing roadworks."

Were these signs a less common sight in the 1980s?

Mentions of clubbing and going to gigs in the Brunel Rooms nightclub prompted many readers to reminisce about their youth and friendships.

Heather Rama said: "We had some amazing clubs in Swindon, mind you I don’t want my children doing the same as I did!"

Phil Gleed said: "Watch a top band at the Brunel Rooms. I went to see the Ramones there in the '80s."

Graham Henderson said: "Lose your drink on a revolving bar" and Richard Gadd said: "Get lost on Brunel Rooms' rotating bar" - the venue's iconic feature clearly sticks in the memory.

The early years of The Brunel Rooms

With a lack of smartphones making it harder to contact your friends it was just easier to - gasp! - go outside, and see who was about at the time.

Tracey Mitchell said: "Spontaneously meet all your mates in a cafe on a Saturday with no mobile or internet involved, just pure hang out and see who turns up."

Lucie Hamilton said: "Sit in your cars and meet your mates at the college car park in town."

John Stanley said: "No mobile phones - it was awesome. You could have a great time without some idiot filming it. No record for posterity. Imagine your grandchildren not being able to see what you got up to on a night out! Priceless..."

Daniel Spencer liked "watching a concert without everyone holding mobiles phones up!"

Smartphones (main pic: GETTY) seemed like futuristic science fiction back then

Sports fans delighted in the days of Town's Premier League success and Speedway's supremacy.

Alan Pellymounter said: "Sing "Lou Macaris red & white army!'"

Aen Laughland added: "Watch a winning STFC under Lou Macari while standing on the Shrivy!"

Lou Macari at the dugout in the County Ground

Lee Kilby said: "Enjoy watching Phil Crump beating the worlds best speedway riders at the Abbey Stadium week in, week out... for fun! The King of Swindon."

Phil Crump (Picture: Swindon Speedway)

With many of us feeling the pinch of the cost of living crisis, readers said it was far more difficult to pay for our homes and cars now than four decades ago.

Things you can do in the '80s but not now included "find affordable housing" (Freddy White), "fill up your car with fuel for less than £20" (Garry Garside), "buy a two-bed groudn floor flat with a garden for £20,000" (Graham Dickinson), "buy a house" (Phil Emmanuel), and "afford to live" (Tyler Squire).

Shoppers at Swindon's Carrefour in the '80s

Ames Berry said you could "give birth at Princess Margaret Hospital" but can't now, as it was replaced by Great Western Hospital in 2002.

The Princess Margaret Hospital

Kyla Dean remembers seeing "the old man selling newspapers... 'yep yep yep yep'" and, judging by the number of likes her comment received, quite a few others did too.

As it published during the evenings in those days, the Swindon Advertiser was known as the Evening Advertiser - and many of our readers still fondly call it that now.

The Evening Advertiser offices. Picture: Hold The Front Page

Angie Kearns misses "walking across the bridge by the Wyvern".

The Wyvern Theatre usherettes in 1984