The demolition of the final remaining part of the former Swindon Corporation Bus Depot building, which has stood for over a century, has begun.

Diggers were at the site of the red-brick building on Kimmerfields, which is not a listed building, on Friday afternoon and were in the process of knocking it down as part of a major regeneration project.

The council says that Kimmerfields has been largely cleared and ready for future use, but the final piece of the work was the removal of this building.

The rest of the building was already demolished, but this part of it had to remain temporarily because of the equipment inside.

A council spokesperson explained: "As it used to house an electric substation, we had to work with our contractor, Lawson Group and utility companies to make sure the equipment was removed and the building was safe.

"Following work by Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) in the past couple of weeks, we have now started to bring down the building."

Plans were first shared by SSE to complete this work back in September. 

A spokesman for the company said: “Discussions and plans to move the substation equipment from the current site on Corporation Street are ongoing, with the potential for the equipment to be relocated to an existing SSEN site nearby."

Read More: What is this building in Swindon town centre? And is it listed?

Despite not being protected by listed status, the Corporation Street building has been a storied part of the town's history for 125 years. 

It was first built by the transport company Swindon Corporation when it opened its tramway system in the town and it is understood to have housed the first-ever electrical power station in Swindon to power them. 

It remained in use by Swindon Corporation, which is still operating and now known as Swindon's Bus Company, until 2005 when they moved their depot to a new one at Barnfield Road. 

The council announced the demolition on its Facebook page, which garnered reactions of upset from members of the public. 

One said: "Pity the building could not have been incorporated into the new development instead of what will probably be a load of metal and windows."

Another added: "Another iconic building gone, another piece of born and bred Swindonian’s history lost."

The council spokesperson added: "Once the building is down, the next phase of Kimmerfields will be ready for development in the near future."