THE changing face of Swindon featured strongly in the Adver this week 58 years ago.

We ran a series of photographs showing some of the new factories which were part of the town’s post-war commercial diversification, which was driven by visionary Town Clerk David Murray John.

In Commercial Road, the arrival of a new building society branch reflected the fact that more people than ever were saving for their own homes.

In the town centre, a former car park sited where the Wilts and Berks Canal once ran was being converted into a shopping centre.