Swindon



Swindon is a large town in Wiltshire, south west England, that is known for its railway-town heritage and links with the British railway system in which it played a central part during the 19th and 20th centuries. Swindon hosts a railway museum in a restored railway works building, and a volunteer-run heritage railway

Understand
Swindon has a fast-growing population of around 220,000 in its urban area in 2021, making it one of the largest towns in the UK to be without city status. Swindon is known for being a regional centre for business, and is home to many technological and pharmaceutical companies, as well as having national headquarters for international companies Nationwide, Intel, and Zurich. The town is also a regional retail and leisure hub of which it boasts several facilities.

Swindon continues to be an economically attractive town, with an ever-growing private, knowledge-intensive sector. This is aided by the town’s central location, in close proximity to other regional powerhouses such as Reading, Bristol, and Oxford.

The town has always suffered with a poorer reputation and outlook from those living outside Swindon, particularly regarding the town centre, of which has suffered due to several decades of under-investment and a failing to compete against neighbouring towns and cities, of which have benefited from inward investment. However, as of 2021, several regeneration projects are underway in the town centre, including a £30m upgrade to the town’s major bus station and central business district. A further £80m is being invested in creating a new cultural quarter on a large brownfield site adjacent to the existing central bus station, known as Kimmerfields.

As mentioned, Swindon also has a strong railway heritage and was home to the extensive Great Western Railway works in the 19th century, the site of which is still standing today as a designer outlet shopping centre. This introduction of industry led to a boom in the town’s population and ultimately led Swindon to become the larger town it is these days.

History
The town began its existence as a Saxon village, and it is likely that its name is derived from the Saxon words swine dun or swines down, possibly meaning "pig hill". The small hilltop village subsequently expanded around the site of a quarry, with a 19th-century canal facilitating trade.

During the mid-19th century, the introduction of the Great Western Railway and the associated railway works fully transformed Swindon from a village into a thriving industrial town, which drew workers from across the United Kingdom. The older settlement on top of the hill remained independent until 1900, when it was annexed by the newer industrial town. Today it is known as Old Town and still retains a somewhat separate feel.

Swindon experienced a population boom after World War II. New housing areas were built due to a shortage of housing in London following the mass destruction caused by the war. This population growth has continued and the town remains one of the fastest growing urban areas in the United Kingdom and Europe.

Visitor information

 * Visit Swindon website

By plane
Swindon is served by international airports in the south of the United Kingdom. For travellers coming directly to Swindon, the following airports are most convenient:

Arrival points involving greater travel times include London Gatwick Airport, London Stansted Airport, London Luton Airport, Bournemouth Airport, Birmingham Airport and Cardiff Airport.

By train
Wikivoyage has a guide to Rail travel in Great Britain


 * From London and the South East of England – Swindon has a direct rail connection to London Paddington, a major railway terminus in Central London, a short distance north of Hyde Park. Services from Paddington take approximately 1 hour to reach Swindon, travelling via Reading (the journey's halfway point). Some services also call at Didcot Parkway.
 * From South Wales and the West Country – Services arriving into Swindon from the west originate at a number of stations, such as Swansea, Cardiff Central and Bristol Temple Meads.
 * From Gloucestershire and the West Midlands – Arrivals from Kemble, Cheltenham Spa and Gloucester.

By bus
National Express Coaches are available from the central bus station. Tickets can be purchased from the bus station office for all major cities and airports (bus transfers may apply - visit the website for more information).

If you are travelling to or from Oxford, there is no direct train service. While it is possible to change at Didcot Parkway, it can be quicker and easier to take the S6 bus which runs between the bus station and Oxford city centre every 20 minutes. There is also an hourly service to Salisbury, which has only a very limited direct train service to Swindon.

By car
Driving along the M4, take junction 15 or 16 into Swindon. There are no direct Park and Ride depots near the junctions, one is available is entering Swindon via Wroughton (traveling from Devizes or Avebury) National Park and Ride Directory.

By foot
The town centre is small enough to walk through on foot, as are the shopping areas of Old Town, the Great Western Designer Outlet Village, the Orbital Retail Park and the Shaw Ridge Leisure Park & West Swindon Shopping Centre. Although it is a great way of seeing Swindon, it is not recommended as most attractions are more than 45 minutes walk from the centre of the town - it is advisable to travel by bus. The attractions within 15 minutes walk of the town centre include the Steam Museum, the Railway Village, the Wyvern Theatre, the civic council offices and central Public Library, the Swindon Hydro Centre, the main bus station, the railway station, and some hotels.

By bus
Swindon has an extensive local bus network, with the vast majority of routes radiating outward from the town centre (either from the bus station or the Fleming Way bus stands).

The two main bus operators in the town are Swindon's Bus Company and Stagecoach West.

A full list of routes can be found at the Swindon Borough Council bus information website

By bicycle
Swindon has extensive support for bikes, with paths following major roads split between pedestrians and cycles.

For more detailed information about cycle routes to and from Swindon, see the Swindon Travel Choices website].

By car
The road network in Swindon is comprehensively signposted. To get from one side of Swindon to the other, locals have the option of driving through town, or jumping on the motorway from junction 15 to 16. This method of getting across Swindon has been somewhat superseded by the almost unused link between Drove Road/Wroughton and the Rushy Platt junction.

One of the major attractions when driving around Swindon is the Magic Roundabout, named after the 1960s television show. This sprawling junction contains five mini-roundabouts, each situated around a bigger, but less obvious, central counter-clockwise roundabout (which houses a very bright street light for night driving). Each mini-roundabout has three junctions, two leading on to the next and previous mini-roundabout, and one acting as an entry/exit junction. Many visitors are immediately intimidated by local drivers who use it proficiently, but the local secret is to treat each mini-roundabout as normal, rather than looking at the daunting mass of concrete and cars.

Architecture

 * Former Great Western Railway Works Now turned into the McArthur Glen Designer Outlet shopping centre, it features architectural and mechanical reminders of days gone by.
 * Renault Distribution Centre, designed by Sir Norman Foster. Although the building is now owned by Spectrum, it is still popularly called "the Renault building" by Swindonians. Similar in design is the Link Centre, a sports and leisure centre in the west of Swindon, opposite Shaw Ridge Leisure Park.
 * Wood Street, Old Town. This features original 17th-century buildings, modernised with shop fronts, bars and restaurants. Considered a more upper class area than the current centre of Swindon, it is semi-pedestrianised.
 * Wood Street, Old Town. This features original 17th-century buildings, modernised with shop fronts, bars and restaurants. Considered a more upper class area than the current centre of Swindon, it is semi-pedestrianised.

Parks and woodland

 * Town Gardens
 * Queen’s Park
 * Lawns Park
 * Faringdon Road Park
 * Lydiard Country Park
 * Coate Water Country Park
 * Hagbourne Copse
 * Shaw Forest Park
 * Peatmoor Lagoon
 * Mouldon Hill Country Park

Sports

 * Football:
 * Link Centre is an ice rink and leisure complex within Westlea Shopping Centre, two miles west of town. Swindon Wildcats play ice hockey here Sept-March in the National League, England's second tier.

Buy
Swindon town centre contains the main retail core of the town, primarily served by four pedestrianised shopping streets (Bridge Street, Regent Street, Canal Walk and The Parade). The shops are around 150 m from the bus station and approximately 300 m from the railway station.



At the end of western end of Canal Walk is the Swindon’s Tented Market.

Two shopping destinations exist within walking distance of the town centre. 0.8 km west of the town centre is the McArthur Glen Designer Outlet, Europe's largest indoor designer outlet in the unique setting of restored Victorian railway engineering buildings. south-east of the town centre is Old Town.



Further afield are Greenbridge Retail Park, the West Swindon Shopping Centre and the Orbital Retail Park. These are accessible from the town centre by bus, taxi or car.



Eat
There are plenty different types of places to choose from, including traditional English and Irish pubs, Chinese and Indian restaurants, and cafés and bars.

Drink
For really good pubs it is advised you head out of town into the countryside a bit, however several of the more popular pubs are:



Sleep
The hotel sector in Swindon has seen increased growth in the past decade as the town continues to urbanise and establish itself as a base for tourism in the centre of southern England.

Town centre
For many years there was only one hotel in the town centre but competition arrived and there are now three main players, with more rumoured to be on the way. This increased competition benefits you, with reduced room rates on offer.



Bed & Breakfasts can be found on Manchester Road and County Road.

West Swindon
Another cluster of hotels can be found in West Swindon, a convenient stopover point due to the proximity of the M4 motorway at Junction 16.



Old Town
The pace of life in Old Town is much slower due to its distance from the railway station and town centre. However, there is one large hotel:



Bed & Breakfast accommodation can be found on Bath Road and Victoria Road.

Go next

 * Whitehorse Hill, Uffington, Vale of White Horse
 * Head towards Cirencester, Bath, Bristol, Salisbury or Reading