Construction work has begun to transform two closed retail units in Swindon town centre into a new use - which is very different to their previous functions.

For months the pop-up shop House of Tweed and the cafe McCtaffs have sat empty on the same corner of Canal Walk and College Street in Swindon's main retail area. 

But in the last month construction workers have been busy ripping out the clothes store and the food and drink venue to give them a new lease of life as a dental surgery. 

Swindon Advertiser: House of Tweed now looks like a place for dentistryHouse of Tweed now looks like a place for dentistry (Image: Newsquest)Pictures taken at the end of January show that the House of Tweed store on Canal Walk has been segmented into different areas - the interior has been decorated a pristine white.

The unmistakable presence of a fully kitted-out dentistry room can be seen around the side as you head down College Street. 

Then the pictures also show that as you continue down College Street and you get to the former McCtaffs that it has been segmented and decorated in the same way, and once again you cannot fail to see the chair, sink and equipment for dental work. 

Swindon Advertiser: There is dentistry equipment in the former McCTaffsThere is dentistry equipment in the former McCTaffs (Image: Newsquest)

From this, it would appear that the two buildings that are right next to each other have been connected and will form part of a larger practice. 

It is not yet known which dental provider will be setting up residence in the area when the two buildings are complete and it is ready to open, and perhaps more crucially, it is not yet known if it might offer the lifeline of NHS patient appointments that Swindon is lacking. 

Swindon Advertiser: McCTaffs in Swindon town centreMcCTaffs in Swindon town centre (Image: Newsquest)

In October 2022 a sign was placed in the door of McCtaffs saying it was closed due to staff sickness - a few months later and the property was handed a forfeiture notice and has been closed ever since. 

Before McCtaffs was there, the store was occupied by a Prospect Hospice charity stop.

And House of Tweed called the Canal Walk unit its home for three years, having taken over from The Body Shop in 2020.

But in early 2023 it announced it was having a closing down sale and then shut its doors for good.