A TURN-OF-THE-CENTURY piece of Swindon’s history has become the centrepiece of a Stratton pub’s new function room after the landlord saved it from a skip.

Mark Richardson rescued a 1901 dating stone from Sturrey Cottage on Highworth Road when the house was demolished, then kept it for more than 10 years before he found it a new home.

Mr Richardson refurbished and repainted with the help of a hobbyist and installed it in a new function room at the Rat Trap which will be named after the cottage.

He said: “The cottage near the Rat Trap roundabout was being knocked down and I’m quite keen on Stratton history so I asked for the stone and at first, the builders said no because it would be too much of a burden to move.

“Then I saw it in the skip and asked them for it again and this time they said yes. It’s been in my home for years and I’ve been trying to find a use for it that would keep it in the area. It was a bit of a mess before I restored it but it looks outstanding now in the function room, it’s really beautiful.”

Mark painted the stone green then set Michael Lawrence the task of carefully repainting the letters.

Michael said: "I make model aircraft so Mark knows I've got very steady hands and he roped me into doing this. It was an unusual challenge, the stone had been worn by weather so painting parts of it were tricky, but I really enjoyed it. It's been varnished now and should stay here for years."

Sally Hawson from Save Swindon’s Heritage supported Mr Richardson’s innovative idea. She said: “I think it is really lovely that he’s salvaged this from the wreckage and seen value in it. The pub is even older than the cottage and is already full of character but this will add even more meaning and character to it.

“We need more people like Mark who care about the little things, he’s created his own bit of history by restoring something from the local area.It’s given him a story to tell whenever he hosts guests in the function room and it’s saved the memory of the cottage, which was a small but important part of the community, it was someone’s home.

“I’m a complete evangelist when it comes to restoring the old buildings we already have but if they do get demolished, it’s good to see something of them kept. We need to celebrate little wins like this.”

The function room is still under construction and will open in June.