Delve into Some Swindon History with (Some Tediously) Associated Entertainment

Now standing as the largest town in Wiltshire with a history of importance that tracks to its defensible positioning upon a hill that was coveted by the Anglo-Saxons, Swindon certainly has a lot of history to explore. Rather than going through all of the key buildings and streets of historical significance, though, we’re delving into some of the more fun and modern elements of the town’s history.

We have a great haul of entertainment options to explore at Total Swindon, but here, you’ll find some more offbeat and some mainstream options that have associations and tedious links to a part of history in the area.

One of Britain’s greatest authors rests here

Born in Mayfair in 1908 and buried at St James Church after his death in 1964, Ian Fleming rests less than half an hour away from the middle of Swindon. The famous British author is, of course, best-known for his spy novel series James Bond, which only became more famous through its film adaptations. Swindon’s more than happy to embrace this connection, with even PizzaExpress taking on a James Bond theme in Old Town.

Further enforcing Swindon’s ties to Fleming and his legendary works, an iconic structure was once used for the filming of the James Bond movie A View To A Kill. Now a listed building by English Heritage, as reported by the BBC, The Spectrum Building was used as the backdrop in the 14th Bond flick. You can still go to visit this iconic building, which was created by one of the country’s foremost contemporary architects, Sir Norman Foster.

For a more entertainment-driven experience of the Swindon landmark and the legendary author, watching the movie is the obvious choice. A View To A Kill is currently available to view via an internet connection on Virgin. Alternatively, experience Fleming’s work in what has to be its finest form with any of the editions published by The Folio Society.

A piggy town known for its abundance of pigs

Wiltshire is well-known as one of the finest producers of pork, with Wiltshire ham being incredibly popular the nation over. Swindon, however, might just be the piggy-est of all of the settlements in the county. As a Saxon village, we can look to the Saxon language to see what ‘Swindon’ means, which just happens to be ‘pig hill,’ per Local Histories. Also referred to as ‘Suindune,’ it turns out that Swindon had a great many pigs.

Strangely enough, there’re plenty of pig-themed entertainment options out there. Sitting among the Top Games on Betway, Oink Farm has proven an unlikely success. Slots get most of their clicks based on their theme, with players coming back for a fun combination of theme and features. Oink Farm is all about the helpful wild pigs, the pig coin collecting, and the golden egg collecting that runs throughout the game.

While it doesn’t star pigs or a lead pig quite like Oink Farm or the movie Babe does – but certainly features a pig in a prominent role – the movie Pig is one of those flicks that everyone needs to see, but so few have. On Rotten Tomatoes, it’s got 97 per cent from critics and 84 per cent from the 250-plus audience scores. It’s some of Nicolas Cage’s best work, but all eyes are on the purebred Kunekune, whose real name is Brandy.

Wiltshire on the big screen

Wiltshire is one of the most popular filming locations in the UK for all of its quintessentially historic English towns, villages, architecture, and scenery. Castle Combe has played host to many great and popular films, as well as a famous advert. The village has featured in Doctor Doolittle, Stardust, the advert Solvil et Titus, and the multi-award nominated War Horse, which is available to buy and keep on Sky Store.

Lacock, the birthplace of modern photography, is also a hot location for film and TV producers. Lacock Abbey, the Great Hall, Great Chalfield Manor and Garden, and the village itself have all featured in prominent flicks, including His Dark Materials,

The Other Boleyn Girl, the BBC’s Pride and Prejudice shows, Downton Abbey, and The Hollow Crown. In two Harry Potter films, the Abbey is what you saw when the wizards were venturing around Hogwarts.

So, those are some fun ways that you can explore the history and historical setting of Swindon and Wiltshire – tedious as some of those links may be!