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Aviemore Road, SWINDON, SN1 7AL

There are quite a few three-storey terraces on this development, presumably mostly flats. The builders have used a varied mix of materials and styles intended to make the street scene more interesting. The development of Wichelstowe will take several years to complete. More on the developers' website http://www.wichelstowe.co.uk/index.asp?pageid=1

The development of what is known locally as the Front Garden is proceeding at a steady pace. Ground was first broken in 2007. To quote from the latest newsletter 'approaching 150 homes are now occupied with the pace of families moving in set to grow steadily through 2010'. What isn't clear is how many of those homes are sales and how many social housing. More about the development can be found here http://www.wichelstowe.co.uk/index.asp?pageid=1 There is a nice example of a 2002 Ford Mondeo in the centre of the image.

The houses here are part of the Wichelstowe development on land once called colloquially Swindon's front garden. The view was a little different in 2007 when I last photographed it http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/584093 from a viewpoint that is now inside a school playground.

This part of the new residential development is situated on the site of a farmhouse built probably in the 1960s and which I photographed in 2007 before it was demolished http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/584095 The viewpoint is not quite the same - it would have been a closeup of a wall - but it's close enough to make a fair comparison.

This is the now-derelict farmhouse associated with the defunct farm of the same name. The farmhouse and barns are now within the 'Front Garden' development area and will no doubt be demolished as construction proceeds. The house doesn't look that old and is unremarkable. Update 2014: this location looks different now http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/4096352

Some idea of what this former farmland looked like before the Wichelstowe development commenced can be gained from the view in the far distance. The land was known informally as the Front Garden, an area of land south of Swindon and north of the M4 between junction 16 and Croft Road. Over the next few years the development will proceed to the west of here. Much more on the developers' website http://www.wichelstowe.co.uk/index.asp?pageid=1

The farm is now derelict following the commencement of work to develop the area for new housing. I imagine it will be demolished at some point as there is nothing there worth preserving.

The Wichelstowe development is on what was informally known as Swindon's 'Front Garden', a large area of land between southern Swindon and the M4 between junctions 15 and 16. The design mix demonstrates the latest trends in domestic architecture with features such as different building materials and varying roof-lines. Some houses are already occupied but I am not sure how fast sales are taking place. Much information about the development is on the developers' website http://www.wichelstowe.co.uk/index.asp?pageid=1

A small plaza near the village centre.

From the former Midland & South Western Junction Railway, which runs west-east along the southern edge of Swindon and is now part of NCR 45. East Wichel is an outer suburb of Swindon, between the River Ray and the M4.