MP Risks Losing Youth Tag With Graffiti Dismissal

It seems strange that an MP (and before that a councillor) who champions many policies that impact young people should be so dismissive of a small-scale Parish decision on graffiti walls.

In his Swindon Advertiser column of the 21st of October (yes, I'm a little behind!) Mr. Tomlinson dismisses the idea of legal graffiti walls since they didn't work at Mannington in 2001.

Feedback to Swindon Centric from someone who used them was that the structures weren't the best to use as a canvas, being slatted and at an angle. The site itself, immediately to the South West of where the John Lewis at Home store is now, between the Mannington Retail Park and railway line, allowed people to joyride onto it, resulting in a car being burnt out, not helping anyone.

The majority of legal graffiti sites tend to be in urban areas, where people will actually see the work produced. If you're going to add criminal connotations to an activity, shove it away where no-one will see it and you're halfway there.

Funny how in his column Mr. Tomlinson did not mention his once frequently-lauded achievement whilst in council office, that the free graffiti removal service offered by Swindon Borough Council was his idea (diverting money from a non-needed I.T budget if memory serves).

Swindon Centric Says ; How much of that money could be saved by having even a small amount of tags diverted to a legal graffiti wall? This is the same MP who is lobbying for children to be taught sound financial management. Oh dear.

There Was Once A Man Who Climbed Aboard The Bus...

A piece of culture-jamming, with a rogue piece of poetry masquerading as an official Poem on the Underground. Spotted on a Bakerloo Line service in 2003.


Swindon Centric would like to make all our loyal readers (and those disloyal cads that have stumbled on the blog!) aware of the Domestic Cherry team, a poetry collective with more verses than a church hymn book.

Swindon Centric Says ; As has been said before, far from being a cultural desert, for a town of our size, we punch several times above our weight, with cultural quantities more akin to an oasis.

Big Bus Push for Big Arts Day

The link between art and public transport is well known and Swindon will be practicing just that on Saturday, with a dedicated bus service for the Big Arts Day.

Swindon Borough-owned Thamesdown Transport will be running a special service, the 1X every 20 minutes from Fleming Way to Lydiard Park from 12pm until 3pm and from 4.40pm until 7.40pm.

Return services will depart Wilmot Close (just outside the Tregoze Way entrance to Lydiard Park) from 12.14pm until 15.14pm and from 4.54pm until 7.54pm.

There's also Thamesdown's regularly scheduled no. 1 and 1A that runs to Grange Park and along Tregoze Way.

Swindon Centric Says ; A bus and art mega day in a leafy part of town, what more does one need?

Made In Swindon 4 - Wharf Green Sculpture Returns, Hooray!

When the Wharf Green work started a few years ago, the Blondis sculpture was removed and sort-of forgotten about.

However, the refurbished playground at St Mark's Recreation Ground has had a welcome addition, with the sculpture of the two circus performers installed.

Swindon Centric Says ; Good to see, after the Golden Lion Bridge mural restoration, that this piece of Swindon's art has also been retained and restored. Could this possibly be a reemergence of Thamesdown Borough Council's art policy in the 70s and 80s, we shall keep looking for further evidence.

Made In Swindon 3 - First Town Redevelopment Area Looks A Picture

Despite the relatively unpredictable weather over the last few weeks, local artist Ken White has done stirling work on repainting his mural. Swindon Centric talked to Ken last week and he remarked that he would dart for cover into the small container when the rain began, fortunately none of the repainting has run in the wet weather.

Swindon Centric Says ; Ken expected to be finished by the end of today.

Mural Restoration - The Excellent Side Of Regeneration

The New Swindon Company may have been around since the town centre didn't quite look as bad as it does now, but not much has happened of note since then.

So Swindon Centric declares that the best part of anything in the town centre is the repainting of the Golden Lion Bridge Mural by it's creator, Ken White.

Swindon Centric Says ; You can tell this isn't a New Swindon Company project, because this one is actually going to happen.

Where else should we have a new generation of murals in Swindon? Ideas welcome.