West Swindon, What the Eye Doesn't See, by Angela Atkinson, Frances Bevan and Roger Ogle

West Swindon is a series of linked suburban centres planned and built from the 1980s to the west of the Wiltshire former railway town. But its story stretches back much further than most people realise. Way before the St. John family hunted on what is now Lydiard Park, Romans lived, made bricks - and died here. Should you think of West Swindon as nothing more than a soulless, twentieth-century urban conurbation then time spent within the pages of this book should hold some surprises for you. The authors between them weave a rich tapestry of West Swindon from its Roman beginnings through to the how, why and where of the western expansion of the 1970s and 1980s, encompassing street names, public art and green spaces. Their final flourish is a round-up of the notable 20th century buildings in the area - with a windmill thrown in for good measure. October 2023, 159pp, paperback, colour ills, £14.95, ISBN 978-1-914407-57-4