Swindon
Swindon is a town of Wiltshire, England. It has a population of 180,000 (and rising). Swindon is one of the fastest growing towns in the UK (along with Milton Keynes) and has a very low unemployment rate. Since 1996 it has been in the county of Swindon.
Location
Swindon is located in the South West of the UK - between London and Bristol - and is easily accessible by rail and from junctions 15 and 16 of the M4 motorway.
| Latitude | Longitude |
|---|---|
| 51.563° North | 1.778° West |
History
The original Saxon settlement of Swindon sat in a defensible position atop a limestone hill. It is referred to in the Domesday Book as Suindune, a name believed to be derived from the Anglo-Saxon words swine dun meaning literally pig hill. Swindon remained a small market town, used mainly for barter trade, until the mid-1800s. This original market area of Swindon is located on top of the hill in central Swindon and is now known as Old Town.
The industrial revolution was responsible for a great acceleration of Swindon's growth. It started with the construction of the Wiltshire and Berkshire canal in 1810, and then the North Wiltshire canal in 1819. These two major routes brought more trade to the area, and Swindon's population started to rise.
Probably the most significant event in Swindon's history occurred in 1840, when Swindon was selected to house the large engineering works for the Great Western Railway by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Construction of the works was completed in 1842 and the new jobs created brought many people into the town to work. Along with the railway works a small railway village was created to house some of the many railway workers. This area became the present day area known as New Town (or the Town Centre). The original Railway Village houses are still standing and are occupied, and several of the original buildings which comprised the engineering works also remain (though many are vacant). A Steam Railway Museum (link below) now occupies part of the old works.
In the second half of the 19th Century the new area (New Swindon) created by the railway works and the original area from the market trading years (Old Swindon) were merged to become Swindon.
During much of the 20th Century the railway works was the largest employer in the town. In the late 1970s however, a large portion of the railway works closed down. The job deficit was quickly filled by jobs in many new and upcoming industries. Swindon is often cited as a "boom town" and new housing continues to be built. Among major employers are Honda and Rover car factories and the head offices of several insurance and financial services companies.
Geography
The town itself has a total area of approximately 39.70 km² (15.33 mi²). The unitary authority (created in 1996 as the 'county of Thamesdown', but renamed in 1997 as the county of Swindon) has a much larger area as it encompasses many surrounding villages and land.
Attractions
Steam Railway Museum (link below).
Swindon has a large roundabout surrounded by several smaller roundabouts known as the Magic Roundabout.
There are two leisure centres, 'The Link Centre' and 'The Oasis'.
The English Second Division football team Swindon Town F.C. play in Swindon at the County Ground.
Public parks include 'Lydiard Country Park' and 'Coate Water'.
Fast Facts
- A well-known rock band, XTC, comes from Swindon.
- The former pop singer Billie Piper (married to Chris Evans) also comes from Swindon.
- Anthropologist Desmond Morris was born there as was his former girlfriend actress Diana Dors.
- Busty minor celebrity Melinda Messenger hails from the area.
- Comedians Mark Lamarr & Julian Clary have Swindon connections, but don't publicise it widely.
External links
- http://www.visitswindon.co.uk/
- http://www.swindonweb.com/
- http://www.swindonlink.com/
- http://www.swindonevent.com/
- http://www.thisisswindon.co.uk/
- http://www.swindonhotel.com/
- http://www.swindon-business.net/
- http://www.swindonfm.co.uk