MY STREET CHALLENGE - UPHAM ROAD

We didn’t go out too early this morning, and although it was sunny, it was very cold, in fact, it was raw, but at least we didn’t have snow!

There aren’t that many roads in Swindon that begin with the letter “U” - Upham Road is quite a long road and is the link road between Drove Road and Queens Drive on an estate known as Old Walcot.  However, through traffic was banned from using this as a link road sometime in the 1970s when, according to the Council, it was being used as a “rat race” so to stop this happening, the road was closed to ordinary traffic at the Queens Drive end with only buses and emergency vehicles being allowed to use it.  This meant that all traffic coming into Swindon could not go along Upham Road so had to go via the Magic Roundabout and then up Drove Road to get into Old Town and to the town centre.

Upham Road was named after Upper Upham Farm, near Aldbourne and the name was suggested by Mrs Eugenia Goddard, the last inhabitant of the Manor house at The Lawns before it was demolished and the widow of Major Fitzroy Pleydell Goddard, who was Lord of the Manor.  Apparently, Dudmore, Walcot and Upham were all farms on her late husband’s estate and on the estate of Old Walcot, there are roads named after these farms.

We went into Upham Road, legally I might add, from the Drove Road end and I asked Mr. HCB to drive right down to the far end, so that I could take a photograph of the secondary school our two boys attended – it is now Churchfields Academy, and the entrance is in Salcombe Grove, but the playing fields abut Upham Road.

The older houses in Upham Road, in the top middle photograph in the collage have round bay windows and were built in the 1930s by a well known local builder at the time, Arthur J Colborne.  It was a father and son business and Colborne Street in Swindon was named after them as it was close to their business premises.  In the early 1900s, the firm was on the brink of bankruptcy, but carried on building until the late 1930s.  Mr. HCB and his parents lived in a house very near to Upham Road, built by the Colbornes and all over Swindon can be seen their trademark bay window houses.  When we were first married, we lived in Burford Avenue, which is off Upham Road, in a “Colborne” house, and can bear witness to the fact that the houses were very well built – when we wanted to knock a wall down, Mr. HCB and his father did the job, but found it very hard work.  

Mr. HCB says that in the 1950s, when he was younger, Upham Road stopped at Parklands Road, which led up into The Lawns, and that there were still open fields all around probably part of Church Farm but I cannot find any information about this farm.   The remainder of Upham Road was built probably in the late 1950s with a more modern type of house, which can be seen in the top right of the collage.  Interestingly, when I stopped to take this photograph, I saw the blinds “twitching” and then realised that this house belonged to someone we have known since the late 1970s, when Mike and Mr. HCB were involved in Cubs and Scouts – so while I carried on taking photographs, Mr. HCB and Mike had a chat. 

I walked along the road towards Immanuel United Reformed Church, shown in the middle left photograph, which opened in September 1939 as Immanuel Congregational Church and served the community of Old Walcot during the war years.  The Church originated at Victoria Street Church in Old Town, Swindon, but in 1938, that site was compulsorily purchased by the Borough Council for road widening, so it was decided to build a new church on the housing estate being built at the time just “down the hill”.  The church had extensive grounds with three tennis courts, a large lawn area, where garden parties were held in the summer and a play area.  

In 1969 Immanuel became part of the Ecumenical Parish of Old Town, which includes Christ Church, the Anglican parish church, and Bath Road Methodist Church and since then the three churches have worked closely together. I was thrilled to be able to gain access to the church, because the partnership logo in the bottom left photograph in the collage, showing three arrows looking to the cross and then moving out from the cross into the community and the world is of special interest.  Mr. HCB’s mother was part of the team that designed and made this logo and I was thrilled to see that the pulpit fall is still in place next to a beautiful flower arrangement, so I had to take this photograph.  Immanuel Church played such an important part in her life and the life of Mr. HCB and his brother when they were growing up as they lived very near.   In 1972 the then Immanuel Congregational Church voted to join the United Reformed Church.   

In the mid 1960s I went along to Immanuel Church with a friend and met Mr. HCB – before long we were courting and were married in the church in 1968 – the middle photograph shows us after the ceremony – probably smiling because the service was over and we could relax!  We were both very involved, Mr. HCB with the young people in the church and I was in the church choir and also a Sunday School teacher.  For many years I was the Registrar for weddings at the church (but didn’t register ours!) and I was also the secretary to the then Minister, Norman Charlton.  He often came to our house which was just down the road from the church when I was working for him, and when Martyn, our older son, was a toddler he used to call him “The Rev” – Mr. HCB’S mother thought it was rather disrespectful, but Norman was quite happy with it – in fact, he treated Martyn as if he were a grandson!   

Land at the side of Immanuel Church was sold in the 1970s and two complexes were built.  Booker House was named after Harry Booker, a Life Deacon in the Church and he was also the Sunday School Superintendent when Mr. HCB attended as a little boy.  Booker House provides self-contained, fully-furnished flats for people with learning disabilities, and they are well looked after within the complex.  They have one-to-one and group life skills sessions to help them with issues like banking, shopping and healthy eating.  There is a communal lounge for social activities and they are encouraged to learn new skills, which then gives them more confidence.  Many of them attend a group called Thursday Fellowship which meets in the Church, obviously on a Thursday evening, where they can explore the Christian faith and meet with their friends;  sometimes they come to our Church to take part in the service.

Charlton House, shown in the middle right of the collage, was named after Norman Charlton, who was the Minister of the church at the time the land was sold, and provides apartments and bedsits for retired people in a secure setting and in beautiful surroundings.

We spent many happy years at the church after our marriage but left in 1982 when we moved to another part of the town and felt we wanted to worship nearer to where we lived.

TS Resolution is the Swindon unit of the Sea Cadet Corps based in Upham Road, at the bottom right of the collage.  It was established in 1937 and the unit has a history going back many years.  The Sea Cadets, aged between 10 and 18, participate in many activities including boating, canoeing, ICT, cooking, parade training, and adventurous training to name a few and the core purpose is to celebrate Britain's maritime heritage and contribute to its future development by supporting young people;  the Swindon Sea Cadets can be seen at many local events and I have no doubt that last weekend, they were at the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph.

There is a Catholic School next to the Sea Cadets’ hall, but now that Holy Cross Primary School has been built in Queens Drive, I am not sure whether this is still used – it probably is because it didn’t look neglected and there are many Catholics in our town.

Next to the School is The Upham Road Centre, which provides day care and activities for many from the town with learning disabilities.  Within the centre are two units for people with special needs such as challenging behaviour and severe physical needs.  When we lived in the neighbourhood, I often used to go in and help and our friend, Elizabeth, attended for a few years and really enjoyed her time there.  It is a very friendly place and allows carers to have some respite, which is essential when caring for those with learning disabilities, who in turn feel valued because they are able to be involved in many activities that are geared to their abilities.

Upham Road on Old Walcot is in a very pleasant part of Swindon, with easy access to Old Town and the Town Centre – walking around this morning brought back many happy memories and if I’m honest, I would be quite happy to move back there – who knows what might happen in the future.

“Memory is a way of holding on
     to the things you love,
          the things you are,
               the things you never
                    want to lose.”
Kevin Arnold