THE HISTORY of an Old Town community hall will be celebrated in a new book.

The work charts 100 years of life in Eastcott. It has been written by Kate Parsons, with support from the Eastcott Community Organisation, Swindon Central Library and Eastcott residents.

Caroline Davies-Khan, chair of the Eastcott Community Organisation, said: "So many people have come forward to share their stories, which span from the British Restaurant in the 1940s to community activity in the 1980s.

“It’s been wonderful seeing the story come together and fascinating that so much has happened over the years in one area.”

The book runs from the origins of the Savernake Street Social Hall, built on land donated in 1918 by rag and bone man James Powell, through to the present.

Along the way, the book explores the use of the hall as a civil defence training centre and cheap “British Restaurant” during war time and an invasion of crickets in the 1920s.

In researching the book, Eastcott Community Organisation have set up memory sharing events and talks. Next month, the group will replicate a 1940s-style dinner – resurrecting one of the cheap British Restaurants of World War Two.

The scheme has been funded through a £10,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

Darryl Moody, Swindon’s Local Studies librarian, said: “Collaborating with the Eastcott Community Organisation during their fantastic HLF project has been most rewarding.

“The book is a remarkable achievement: evidence of their careful research, hard work and fantastic creativity - and an excellent contribution to Swindon’s history.”

The book will be launched at Swindon Central Library on Saturday, November 25, at 2pm.

It is priced at £5 and can be bought from Swindon Central Library and at Eastcott Community Organisation events.