IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
SWINDON, SN38 3GN

Emerging over the vegetation is the headquarters building of the Nationwide Building Society, which is the country's largest building society. Its origins lie in the Co-operative Permanent Building Society, but it long ago broke any ties with the co-operative movement. Following a name change, and through a series of amalgamations and acquisitions, it reached the position it holds today. Photographed from the Ladder Lane bridge over the M4 motorway.

The grounds of the building society have been carefully landscaped. Among the plants are examples of tall ornamental grasses.

The lake in the grounds of the building society's headquarters building has good clear water and these waterlilies. It is just possible to make out a heron at the top edge of the lake. This is a closer look at the large bird here Image

Nationwide Building Society have a splendid lake at their UK headquarters in Piper's Way with a small but select population of moorhens, coots and this majestic heron. More on Ardea cinerea here http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/g/greyheron/

View of Nationwide Building Society HQ, Swindon. Old Town, Swindon can be seen in the background whilst the M4 motorway is just visible through the trees in front of the building.

The Wish Hounds (1993) by Lou Hamilton located at Croft Country Park, Swindon.

Nationwide is the largest building society in the world. They have their UK headquarters on this site. They have this fine small lake with several fountains. The lake is home to various water birds including a heron, moorhens and coots.

Two years on from Image and it would seem little has changed. The big office premises of Nationwide Building Society is surrounded by parking for hundreds of cars which, pre Covid, when everyone came in to work every day, was probably needed. The sudden rise in out of office working brought on by the pandemic has changed all that and the days of driving round the work parking lot looking for a space could well be over.

Under normal circumstances this car park would be full. Nationwide is a successful financial services company with its headquarters at the Pipers Way site. It is so successful that it has had to expand into several satellite offices around Swindon. With the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic Nationwide quickly introduced a 'working from home' strategy meaning that around 90% of staff members are now working from home. The satellite offices are now mothballed and the few staff still working on-site are in Pipers Way. The number of those is so small that the car parks surrounding the HQ remain virtually empty.

Cyclepath on Pipers Way, Swindon.