IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Barkstead Close, SWINDON, SN5 8NB

Bus leaving Freshbrook way for the Link Centre.

This area is a maze of short, residential cul de sacs with connecting footpaths. It's not hard to lose track of just where you are.

The cottages aren't particularly remarkable. They were probably farm-workers' dwellings built perhaps between the wars. At that time the road they are on was the main route from Swindon to the west country. That remained the case until the early 1970s when a new road south of here was built and the whole area now known as Toothill and Freshbrook was developed as large housing estates, surrounding the cottages with new houses. The once main road became just suburban in character, servicing the residents of the new dwellings. The cottages survived the succeeding forty years (in whose ownership I'm not sure) but now it seems their life is to come to an end. The now-empty cottages and their gardens are soon to be sold at auction, probably to a developer who will demolish them and construct four new housing units. For another view see Image

The cottages aren't particularly remarkable. They were probably farm-workers' dwellings built perhaps between the wars. At that time the road they are on was the main route from Swindon to the west country. That remained the case until the early 1970s when a new road south of here was built and the whole area now known as Toothill and Freshbrook was developed as large housing estates, surrounding the cottages with new houses. The once main road became just suburban in character, servicing the residents of the new dwellings. The cottages survived the succeeding forty years (in whose ownership I'm not sure) but now it seems their life is to come to an end. The now-empty cottages and their gardens are soon to be sold at auction, probably to a developer who will demolish them and construct four new housing units. For another view see Image

One of the larger thoroughfares in this area of residential no through roads. Junction with Corfe Road.

The road seen here was once the only route west from Swindon to the west country. Traffic heading for Chippenham, Bath or Bristol had to use this road, then designated the A420. In the late 1960s however, plans were made to develop hitherto sparsely populated farmland to the west of the town to provide thousands of additional dwellings for the expanding population. Part of the plan included the construction of a new 'relief' (although it was never called that) road to the south now named the A3102. Where once traffic could travel without speed limits, now it has to go no faster than 20 mph as the road is just another suburban estate road. The houses in view were built in the 1970s although, for the time being, there is a handful of older properties that pre-date the 1970s development Image

The Oliver Tompkins Schools are Church of England Voluntary Aided schools. The Infant School is in the distance on the left; the Junior School is nearest the camera.

Coming out of Toothill Park at the north entrance and looking along a road which according to the map is simply called Alnwick.

Looking along the path.

A footpath towards the houses.