Book Online
About Swindon
Swindon is a large town in wiltshire located in the South West of England. Swindon lies on the M4 Corridor between Bristol and London. The town is easily accessible from either junction 15 or 16 of the M4 motorway, or by rail using Swindon station. With a population of over 160,000, Swindon is often cited as a "boom town" and new housing continues to be built especially to the west of the town. It is one of the fastest growing towns in Europe, with a low unemployment rate. It is in the borough of Swindon, which has been a unitary authority (UA) since 1998.
A resident of Swindon is known as a Swindonian. Swindon's motto is "Salubritas et Industria" (Health and Industry).
The surrounding landscape is dominated by the chalk hills of the Wiltshire Downs to the south and east.
- (51°33′51″N, 1°46′15″W)
- Grid reference SU150850
- Nearby towns and cities: Calne, Chippenham, Wootton Bassett, Cirencester, Cricklade, Highworth, Marlborough
- Nearby villages: Aldbourne, Blunsdon, Chiseldon, Hook, Lambourn, Liddington, Lydiard Millicent, Purton, Ramsbury, Wanborough, Wroughton
- Nearby places of interest: Avebury, Barbury Castle, Crofton Pumping Station, Silbury Hill, Stonehenge
History
The original Saxon settlement of Swindon in wiltshire 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 and dun meaning literally pig hill, or possibly Sweyn's hill where Sweyn would be the local landlord. Swindon remained a small market town, 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 an 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 trade to the area, and Swindon's population started to rise.
Probably the most significant event in Swindon's history occurred in 1840, when it was selected to house the large Swindon railway works for the Great Western Railway by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Legend has it that Brunel and his assistant were surveying the route of the London to Bristol line, and had stopped on a hillside for lunch. The assistant asked Brunel where he thought the railway works should be built, and Brunel threw a sandwich in the air, declaring that it would be wherever the sandwich landed. Reality is more mundane - it was situated at a point where engines would need to be changed. Eastwards towards London the line was gently graded, while westwards there was a steep descent towards Bath. Swindon was also at the junction of a proposed line to Gloucester.
Construction of the works was completed in 1842. Along with the railway works a small railway village was created to house some of the 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). The Steam Railway Museum now occupies part of the old works.
In the second half of the 19th century the new area (Swindon New Town) created by the railway works and the original area from the market trading years (Swindon Old Town) 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 part of the works closed.
The surrounding landscape is dominated by the chalk hills of the Wiltshire Downs to the south and east.
To reach Swindon from Bowood will take about 30 minutes and the quickest route is the A3102 via Calne, Lyneham and Wootton Basset.
