Aerial photograph by Neil Lover from his friends aeroplane

Rodbourne is a suburb of Swindon, Wiltshire, and sits nestled between the main east / west line and Gloucester & Cheltenham branch line of  First Great Western, formerly British Rail before privatisation and originaly the Great Western Railway Company (GWR).  The area was previously known as “Even Swindon” due to its location on the lower and flatter land 2km (c1.5m) north-west of the established town of Swindon.  The manor of Even Swindon was first mentioned in documents written in the early 13th century, but over the years the area has taken on the name of the main road that passes through it; Rodbourne Road.

Before the GWR works arrived Rodbourne Road passed through farm land.  Things dramatically changed when housing for the GWR workers started to be built from the late 1870’s onwards.  The development started with the erection of two and three bedroom terraced houses on roads either side of Rodbourne Road.  Over the next 40years or so it expanded westwards in the grid pattern of streets clearly visible today.

There have been several more recent changes to the layout of Rodbourne.  William and Charles Streets were demolished to make way for sheltered housing.  The closure of the GWR works has meant redevelopment of Rodbourne’s eastern and southern edges.  Here you can find new housing, the Designer Outlet Village and headquarters for both the National Trust and English Heritage.