History: Pool was magnet for all children (From This Is Wiltshire)

History: Pool was magnet for all children

LOOKING at the thriving Penhill estate today it is hard to believe that 100 years ago the only building there was a farmhouse, surrounded by miles of fields.

The area, then part of Stratton St Margaret, was located outside the Swindon borough boundary.

All of this changed in 1951 when Swindon Corporation bought the farmhouse, along with 250 acres of land and began building.

Penhill was the first estate to be built after Swindon became an overspill town for London in 1952.

The building of Walcot and the Park North and South estates followed.

The first school to open in the new community was Penhill North Infants in 1955.

The opening of Penhill Primary School in 1956 and Merton Fields Secondary in 1963 followed.

Penhill South Infant and Junior Schools were opened in 1964 and by 1965 there were more than 2,000 homes in Penhill.

Brian Thomas, 66, who is now retired, moved to Penhill in 1954 when the estate was still being built.

“We moved to Swindon from Wales after my father’s job with the Great Western Railway was relocated,” he said.

“I moved into a brand new house in Avebury Road, aged 10, with my mother Katherine, father Lewis and sister Shirley.

“Back then there were only four or five families living in Avebury Road and the street was being built around us.

“This was before any of the footpaths had been built and I remember the builders laying scaffold boards for us to walk along.

“We spent many a happy time playing in the fields at the back of Avebury Road.

“When the builders finished work for the day we went around the estate collecting up all their empty lemonade bottles and took them to the shop in Penhill Drive where we were given 3d a bottle.

“I went to Pinehurst School because the schools in Penhill had not been built when we moved in.

“I got a part time job with a local baker, Trevor Dine, who made regular visits to Penhill in his van selling bread.

“I saved up all of my wages and bought a bike. There were no buses serving the estate and if we wanted to go to the town centre we had to walk to the Moonrakers pub to catch a bus.

“Eventually, Penhill got a bus service but then it only went as far as Penhill church and didn’t go around the whole estate.”

Two members of the rock band XTC, Andy Partridge and Colin Moulden, came from Penhill.

The duo, who first met at Headlands School and played with a band called Clark Kent, went on to form XTC and hit the charts in 1979 with Making Plans For Nigel.

Penhill has always been an area known for its strong sense of community pride and social activities.

The Penhill Amenity Area, a strong focal point for many activities, was opened on August 26 1966, at a ceremony attended by the mayor, AWJ Diamond.

The Recreation and Sports Field included a golf course, cricket pitch, four tennis courts and play area with a paddling pool.

In addition, there was a bowling green and a cafe. The impressive facilities, particularly the paddling pool, were soon attracting visitors from all over Swindon.

Lorna Breslin, 43, grew up in Pinehurst and spent many a happy day visiting the Penhill Park with her sister and three brothers. “I actually learned to ride a two-wheeler in that park,” said Lorna, who is now a teacher at Uplands School.

“Going to Penhill Paddling Pool was the best thing about the summer holidays for me.”

Shop assistant Sarah Williams, 34, grew up in Greenmeadow and was taken to the park with brother Steven by her mother Cathy.

“The park was about a 15-minute walk from our home and we walked across the fields between Greenmeadow and Penhill, taking a short cut,” she said “We always took a picnic and if we were good mum would treat us to an ice lolly.

“We always went to play in the park first and then on to the paddling pool. Our favourite game to play in the paddling pool was tag and seeing who could hold their breath under the water for the longest time.

“We loved going to the paddling pool because it was close to home and there were always lots of children to play with.”