Haydon End and North Swindon

How many farms used to be in the area of Haydon End and North Swindon over 100 years ago and where are they now? 

How did the new development of Oakhurst get its name? 

How did Redhouse get its name? 

And also Haydon End?

Easy enough questions to answer if you view maps from the 1880s and also more recent maps, some only over 10 years old!

I am currently researching the areas known as Priory Vale, Taw Hill and the surrounding land at North Swindon, and wish to record as much as I can about the area before it became a modern housing estate, with shops and schools now built up on farmers fields.  I can remember the cows being in the SSSI field (Cliffords Meadow) about four years ago, but even the cows have long gone.

Luckily, many of the huge old trees in the area remain, and fields and hedgerows viewed on Google Earth can still be located on the older maps, so it can be quite easy to pinpoint old sites, cottages and farms and see today where they once used to stand.  Grange Farm and the nurseries have sadly been demolished, along with Park Farm and many others.  My house at Oakhurst is built directly on top of an old footpath which used to lead to Lower Tadpole Farm directly from Grange Farm, across the fields.

Please contact me if you have any old photographs of this area as I would love to see them.  Or drop me a line if you have any information about old Haydon End and North Swindon. 

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