EAW006874 ENGLAND (1947). Old Town and environs, Swindon, from the south, 1947

tennis courts - now the site of Ashkirk Close at the rear of Cumberland Road, Eastern Avenue and Burford Avenue

County Ground recreation ground

site of open space between South View Avenue and Eastern Avenue

site of Lainsmead Primary School

Walcot Road used to continue eastwards from its present termination point at the junction of South View Avenue towards the former farm buildings along Shrewsbury Road in Walcot East. The section between the end of the current Walcot Road and the pumping station was realigned from the 'kink' at this point in a straight line towards South View Avenue.

now demolished building of foul water pumping station along cycle track between South View Avenue and Queen's Drive.

The pre-war intension was too have a new wide road by-passing Old Town but not along the alignment of Queen's Drive. It was to start from Marlborough Road opposite the junction with Downs View Road - which was to form part of a by-pass around the southern edge of the town hence its unusually wide width not in keeping with its present status as a cul-de-sac - then head northwards through what is now The Lawn estate, through the site of Lawn Manor School, and then roughly along the alignment of Eastern Avenue (hence the name), then along the bend at the bottom end of Burford Avenue then continue straight on through Burger King and end up joining the old roundabout at the junction of Drove Road, County Road and Shrivenham Road. One can just about make out some work on marking out its alignment to either side of this marker point.

rec ground at junction of Edinburgh Street and Buller Street, Gorse Hill

site of bombed houses along west side of Rosebery Street - between Bathurst Road and Broad Street. Houses have since rebuilt but noticeably different in appearance to adjacent Victorian houses https://www.google.com/maps/@51.5642068,-1.7749543,3a,75y,271.86h,92.75t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1saKJxWVNclkoAzJ7CL2YIDQ!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3DaKJxWVNclkoAzJ7CL2YIDQ%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D117.02224%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu

former roundabout at junction of Drove Road, County Road and Shrivenham Road - note: this has since been subsumed by the larger Magic Roundabout.

school along Drove Road

Kembrey Street

remains of the old Holy Rood church.

The Lawn - the manor house of the Goddard family - and demolished within a number of years of this image being taken.

Swindon Town FC The County Ground

Site of the last bomb to fall on Swindon in WW2. At about 9:00am on Sat 29th August 1942 a single 550lb bomb dropped from about 40,000ft (see "Spitfire" by John Nicol) fell in front of 85 Drove Road killing 8 people. The previous day a similar stratospheric attack in Bristol killed 45 people and injured 56. (See also commemorative edition of the Swindon Evening Advertiser of 8th May 1945

Corby Avenue

Marlborough Road

Christ Church

Victoria Road

Drove Road

Croft Road