Swindon is located in the south west of England in Wiltshire. This town was greatly expanded in the 1950s due to the Town development Act. This town was mainly a market town until the industrial revolution occurred and its population greatly increased. The North Wilts canal and Wilts and Berks Canal opened the town up to more extensive trading.
There is plenty of shopping in town as the main shopping area is in the center of town and along the Canal. The Parade and the Brunel Centre are the main shopping spots. You also can visit the Swindon tented market in the town center which was newly reopened in 2009. The McArthur Glen Designer outlet offers discounted clothing and you can find many craft shops at the Studley Grange Craft Village.
Lydiard Park is a lovely country park that is home to Lydiard house. The house was built in an Elizabethan style but was modernized and updated during the English Civil War. The home was open to the public in 1955 and was completely restored. Though this is small for the majority of English stately homes it is beautiful to explore and the grounds are kept up.
Queens Park is near the town center and contains a small lake with many ornamental shrubs and trees. The park contains a Garden of remembrance which remembers those that fought and died in World War II. Coate Water is an additional park that contains a reservoir originally made to feed water into the Wilts and Berks Canal.
The Lady of the Hill is a beautiful church that was created in 1851. This was a replacement of the medieval parish which could not handle the influx of new residents. Inside are several memorials to the Goddard family and of particular note is the west window which shows a view of the hollyhocks of the lawn.
The Renault Building was designed by Sir Norman Foster and is the town’s most acclaimed building. The roof is bright yellow making the entire building highly recognizable. If has contained offices, a showroom, restaurant, warehouse and distribution center. The design of the building has won many awards. This building was actually used in the Bond movie, A View to Kill.
The Link center is the town’s main leisure center. This building was built in 1985 in an environmentally friendly manner. Inside the leisure center contains a district library, ice rink, squash courts, Olympic size swimming pool, snooker hall, health suite, community center, craft studios, sports hall and drama studios.
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