History in Structure

3 and 4, Church Place

A Grade II Listed Building in Central, Swindon

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Coordinates

Latitude: 51.5608 / 51°33'38"N

Longitude: -1.7931 / 1°47'35"W

OS Eastings: 414437

OS Northings: 184678

OS Grid: SU144846

Mapcode National: GBR YPF.P8

Mapcode Global: VHB3L.V1X9

Plus Code: 9C3WH664+8Q

Entry Name: 3 and 4, Church Place

Listing Date: 17 February 1970

Grade: II

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1023479

English Heritage Legacy ID: 318708

ID on this website: 101023479

Location: Kingshill, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN1

County: Swindon

Electoral Ward/Division: Central

Parish: Central Swindon South

Built-Up Area: Swindon

Traditional County: Wiltshire

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Wiltshire

Church of England Parish: Swindon New Town

Church of England Diocese: Bristol

Tagged with: Building

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Description


This list entry was subject to a Minor Enhancement on 23/04/2020

CHURCH PLACE
SU 1484 NW
SWINDON
5/48
Nos. 3 and 4
17.2.70
GV II

In order to house the workforce for the new Great Western Railway works, IK Brunel designed a new village to the south of the railway line. Brunel’s early layout drawings of 1840 show a grid similar to the final plan of 12 terraces in six blocks on either side of the High Street (from 1893 Emlyn Square). Construction started in 1842, and by 1855 most of the buildings had been completed. Houses and cottages of different types were built, as well as lodging houses. Brunel himself designed only the first block of 1842 (4-25 Bristol Street); as it was visible from the railway line, this is in a more decorative style than the others.
The financial difficulties of the contractors JD & C Rigby, who undertook to build 300 cottages but only completed 130, delayed the completion of the village until the 1850s. The cottages to the west of Emlyn Square were built first (1842-1843), followed by those on the east side (1845-1847). The end blocks towards Emlyn Square, containing corner shops on the ground floor, were built in 1845-1847, and the remainder, mostly end blocks on the outer ends of the streets, were built in 1853-1855. In 1966, the local authority acquired the cottages from British Rail and restored them. The village is one of Britain’s best-preserved and architecturally most ambitious railway settlements.

Terrace of cottages. 1853-1854, for Great Western Railway Company. Ashlar limestone with Flemish bond brick rear walls. Slate roofs. Ashlar stacks on party walls. Two storey, one room deep, two bays per cottage. Central segmental pointed chamfered arch over entry to rear access and central entrances to each cottage, C20 eighteen-pane doors under bracketed canopy. Chamfered window surrounds and C20 casements with rounded top corners. Single light window over door, now blocked. Gablets over entry and end bays. Similar to 1 and 2 Church Place (q.v.).

Listing NGR: SU1444384675

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