Swindon steps ahead 1960's

[@cartoonhead9222]

1960's: Step's Ahead 2020's: Decades behind.

[@CARLIN4737]

yep its true. you cant argue with that. the place is a dump now.

[@davesmith5465]

Great film clip. Amazing how forward thinking they were and how much money was available to be spent. Housing schools, factories, 800 bed hospital, M4 etc. Where is the money nowadays? All this was done post war. Swindon now cant even fix the mechanics institute. No money?

[@Rearda]

Getting a socialist government straight after the 2nd World War changed the narrative. The NHS got created and house-building (especially social housing) was a major election issue, even when Conservatives got back in. Margaret Thatcher turned all that around. The money now goes straight into the pockets of the owners of large corporations, who pay little or no tax.

[@peterrooke5336]

Well ! That sure brought back some memories , thank you for posting This 👍

[@kwood1493]

I get the impression that the town had a good feel to it at that time, would be nice if that could be recreated now!

[@branscombeR]

Some nice teenage memories, thanks. I lived in Swindon from 1960 to 1968 on the Park South estate, so I remember every shot in every part of this film. Went to Headlands school. My forever memories are cycling around the beautiful countryside in summer: Avebury, Marlborough, White Horse Hill, etc.. I've been back a few times since my parents are buried in Lydiard Millicent but I left the UK for good after Brexit.

[@melissanewton7462]

We moved from Bromley to Swindon and lived in Park North. Those were great days for everyone and we had lots of places to play. From Park North to Eldene then Toothill.

[@nigelp4328]

We moved to Penhill in 1961. My Dad worked at Pressed Steel. Many , many happy memories. Thanks for posting 👍

[@swinloz1968]

I am a born and bred Swindonian. Still living here, now in Eldene. This is a fascinating piece of film created around the year I was born. Fast forward from then to now! I doubt that the film makers could have even imagined the true extent of Swindon's expansion.

[@timsmith57]

Born in Swindon late 50s and lived there all my life until 5 years ago.What a change and unfortunatly not all good

[@waltjacob3776]

Great archive video. Happy memories.

[@royjacques5650]

Thats when the councils built housing at sensible rent prices.

[@davidj.9587]

30.48, those grand pillars of Pressed steel fisher that remained until ca 2004

[@katewild2194]

I lived in park north and would go to the post office in walcot to get my cousins family allowance it would have been in 60s bit of a walk I remember

[@boldertash]

Was a fantastic town once, been destroyed by politicians, now like a setting for a Zombie apocalypse film, such a shame ruined in 2 generations

[@jemzelkb3442]

brilliant

[@neilfitz7186]

Really enjoyed this, thanks for sourcing and uploading. Grew up just outside Swindon in the 80s and early 90s. What incredible vision they had to grow the town back then, and you can tell they were proud of what they were achieving (and rightly so). All that effort can only have helped its further growth through the 80s+. It's always easy to be negative when comparing against apparently better times, but Swindon has always evolved. First GWR; then this booming post-war period: the visionaries are still out there today - who knows, the planning work may well even already have started. None of Swindon's past happened overnight. Good luck Swindon👍

[@CARLIN4737]

Very interesting

[@jeffblack5024]

This is where I grew up and it seems spacious, principled and idyllic (least we forget, the model for the NHS was in Swindon). How did it all go so wrong?