大象传媒

Swindon Town Hall circa 1961

Historic Swindon Postcards

The Swindon Society, which was founded over 30 years ago was established to further interest in the town's social history.

The Society boasts over 80 members, whose combined photographic collections form a听 fascinating record of the many changes that have taken place in the town over the years, and some photos and slides stretch as far back as the 1850s.

Over the course of its existence, The Swindon Society has published 10 books and produced two videos filled with vintage photos, paintings and cine-camera footage of the town.

Recently however, Society secretary Kevin Bizley has concentrated his interest on collecting vintage Swindon postcards. Since the beginning of the 20th century a vast array of postcards have been printed depicting numerous areas in and around the town, and certain cards are now worth up to 拢30.00 to serious enthusiasts.

Kevin explained what awakened his interest in collecting postcards of the town: "Having a real interest in Swindon, I was looking for that something special which I could call my own," he said. "I already had several books on my home town, but I wanted more.

"As a member of the Society, I often heard people talking about pictures of the town, whether they were photographs or postcards. Some even referred to 'their' collection and questions like 'Have you seen this one?' or 'Do you have that one?' were overheard. My interest was ignited. I wanted some of that!"

Kevin began collecting vintage Swindon postcards around three years ago and has since amassed over 80. As he explained, in this day and age of email, mobile phones and fax machines, postcards were the only method of communication for people in years gone by.

He said: "Back then, postcards were used as the main communication tool. People would often send one 'today' saying that they would 'arrive on the 9.15 train tomorrow', or similar. At this time there were several collections and deliveries daily, so a fast and efficient delivery service was almost guaranteed.

Victoria Road, Swindon circa 1902

"Using postcards became very fashionable as a result. Consequently, many cards survive today, 100 years later. Some, of course, being far more common than others."

To collectors, sometimes correctly dating vintage postcards can prove difficult depending on if the card was actually sent in the post at the time or just bought as a souvenir.

Kevin said: "To allow the dating of a scene, the card, as well as being in pristine condition, needs to have been sent through the post. Besides bearing a stamp, enabling one to ascertain an approximate age, the franking of the actual posting date will greatly assist in identification of this particular objective."

Swindon may not boast many attractive landmarks these days but the postcards which span over 100 years of images of the town by way of photos and paintings, show a very different town.

The most common areas to appear on Swindon postcards over the years were the town centre, Old Town, Town Gardens and Coate Water.

Now those with an interest in Swindon's history can see for themselves as Kevin has kindly allowed 大象传媒 Wiltshire to publish online the majority of the historic postcards in his collection.