IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Ipswich Street, SWINDON, SN2 1DB

Ipswich Street is typical of thousands of similar streets not only in Swindon but elsewhere. Houses like this were put up in large numbers in late Victorian and Edwardian times. What sets this street apart from others is the presence of the first three houses on the right, which are rather younger than their neighbours http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/985000

Viewed from the corner of Whitehouse Road.

In contrast to many other towns and cities in the UK such as Bath, Bristol, Coventry, Exeter and of course London, Swindon largely escaped the attentions of Hitler’s Luftwaffe between the years of 1939 and 1945, largely but not completely. During those years, occasional attacks took place, usually by isolated raiders. In the intervening years all the significant destruction that was caused has been repaired. However, there is still evidence of what happened in those troubled times and the legacy remains in the form of houses that were rebuilt after the war in a style that is similar to but distinct from the originals. At around 20.00 hours on 19th December 1940 a lone German bomber, type unknown, started a bomb run on railway sidings between Station Road and Beatrice Street, Swindon. The plane was flying in a north-westerly direction. Bombs fell amongst rolling stock and caused relatively little damage. The sidings have long since gone and the area comprehensively redeveloped. A major road, Great Western Way, has taken the place of the railyard. It can be seen in this image http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/618258 Further bombs fell in Beatrice Street http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/377752 and then Ipswich Street, where numbers 39 and 40 on the south side were destroyed and the houses either side, 38 and 41, must have been severely damaged. There were fatalities in Beatrice Street but not in Ipswich Street, although people were trapped there for a time. Both streets are typical late Victorian or Edwardian terraced houses. After the war numbers 38 to 41 Ipswich Street were rebuilt. This image shows those properties in the condition they are now. They have been constructed using, probably, bricks from the Bedfordshire brickfields whereas the originals would have been built using local bricks. The bay windows lack the decorative stonework that graced the original houses and, although the current windows are PVCu, as rebuilt they would have been steel casements in place of the original timber sash windows. The historical information above was extracted from a monograph ‘Swindon Air Raids in World War 2’ by K Walter published privately in 1998, a copy of which can be found in Swindon’s Central Library.

In contrast to many other towns and cities in the UK such as Bath, Bristol, Coventry, Exeter and of course London, Swindon largely escaped the attentions of Hitler’s Luftwaffe between the years of 1939 and 1945, largely but not completely. During those years, occasional attacks took place, usually by isolated raiders. In the intervening years all the significant destruction that was caused has been repaired. However, there is still evidence of what happened in those troubled times and the legacy remains in the form of houses that were rebuilt after the war in a style that is similar to but distinct from the originals. At around 20.00 hours on 19th December 1940 a lone German bomber, type unknown, started a bomb run on railway sidings between Station Road and Beatrice Street, Swindon. The plane was flying in a north-westerly direction. Bombs fell amongst rolling stock and caused relatively little damage. The sidings have long since gone and the area comprehensively redeveloped. A major road, Great Western Way, has taken the place of the railyard. It can be seen in this image http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/618258 Further bombs fell in Beatrice Street http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/377752 and then Ipswich Street, where numbers 39 and 40 on the south side were destroyed and the houses either side, 38 and 41, must have been severely damaged. There were fatalities in Beatrice Street but not in Ipswich Street, although people were trapped there for a time. Both streets are typical late Victorian or Edwardian terraced houses. After the war numbers 38 to 41 Ipswich Street were rebuilt. This image shows numbers 36 (to the right) and 37 Ipswich Street which, I presume, were not sufficiently damaged in the attack to warrant rebuilding and which retain the basic characteristics of the original houses underneath the rendering. As built, the bay windows had flat roofs behind a fairly elaborate parapet. These were prone to leak and many were replaced with sloping roofs. Number 36 has had this treatment; 37 has not. At the extreme left of the image is part of number 38, rebuilt after the war http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/985000 The historical information above was extracted from a monograph ‘Swindon Air Raids in World War 2’ by K Walter published privately in 1998, a copy of which can be found in Swindon’s Central Library.The historical information above was extracted from a monograph ‘Swindon Air Raids in World War 2’ by K Walter published privately in 1998, a copy of which can be found in Swindon’s Central Library.

Wooden fencing encloses the SSE (Scottish and Southern Energy) Power Distribution electricity substation located opposite Brunel Crescent.

Garage viewed across Whitehouse Road near the corner of Osborne Street. The name JCDecaux is below both of the advertisement billboards.

In the absence of punctuation, this sign can be read in more than one way. It is meant to be read as Buses only (no other vehicles) 200 yards ahead. It could also mean buses (are) only 200 yards ahead.

Cobra Leathers is at 1-3 Whitehouse Road. Text on the windows shows that the shop's business includes repairs to clothing, bike & trike seats and tents.