Google Old Shaw Lane and it is fairly indistinguishable among the modern housing, but on the ground you get quite a different perspective.
Development on the western expansion of Swindon began in the mid 1970s; first came Toothill, then Freshbrook, Grange Park and Westlea. Shaw and Middleleaze followed in the 1980s.
Until parish boundary changes in the 1970s, the ancient parish of Lydiard Millicent extended beyond the confines of the picturesque village to the ribbon development at Nine Elms and Shaw.
The lane that runs between the former Lydiard Millicent parish boundary and the tributary of the River Ray dates back to the Middle Ages. Building was slow along the thoroughfare known as Shaw Street in 1668 and two hundred years later there were just two farmhouses beside the lane; Shaw Farm, once owned by Viscount Bolingbroke, stood at the south east end and Lower Shaw Farm near the west end. A further 13 houses and cottages straddled the verges.
Until parish boundary changes in the 1970s, the ancient parish of Lydiard Millicent extended beyond the confines of the picturesque village to the ribbon development at Nine Elms and Shaw.
The lane that runs between the former Lydiard Millicent parish boundary and the tributary of the River Ray dates back to the Middle Ages. Building was slow along the thoroughfare known as Shaw Street in 1668 and two hundred years later there were just two farmhouses beside the lane; Shaw Farm, once owned by Viscount Bolingbroke, stood at the south east end and Lower Shaw Farm near the west end. A further 13 houses and cottages straddled the verges.
Once the main road to Purton, the lane was renamed Old Shaw Lane during the 1980s. Today an eclectic mix of old and new housing rubs shoulders along the length of Old Shaw Lane, from the stone built Shaw House dating back to the later 18th century and Hinton Cottages built in the 1870s to Bradshaw House with its distinctive green roof and Mediterranean feel.
Lower Shaw Farm hit the headlines in 2006 when Swindon Borough Council announced it was on their list of disposable assets.
Records of the owners and occupiers of the farm date back to a Will made by Thomas Strange in 1710/11 in which he leaves the tenancy of the farm to his niece Bridget Tuckey formerly Strange and her brother Richard to "share and share alike."
With field names such as Horsey Mead, Cow Leaze and the Ham, the dairy farm, part of the Shaftesbury estate, survived agricultural depression, natural disasters and even a less then enthusiastic tenant.
The 1942 MAF wartime report on farms described the general condition of the farmhouse as 'bad.' The report on the state of the farm itself was equally scathing. There was an infestation of moles and thistles; the ditches were bad' and the unfortunate tenant Angus Charles Webb was described as having a 'lack of farming knowledge and no inclination for hard work.'
A 1989 survey of the farmhouse saw the property listed as a Grade II building, sections of which dated back to the mid 18th century. However, it looked as if having weathered the storm of the 1980s expansion of West Swindon the remaining 3½ acres of the 300 year old farm was now also destined for development.
But today all is well at Lower Shaw Farm and still In the capable hands of Matt Holland and Andrea Hirsch. Lower Shaw Farm has gone from strength to strength hosting weekend breaks, events and courses and is home to a multiplicity of community run projects.
Well, I’m nearing the end of my pilgrimage. I’m not sure if I’ve saved anybody’s life (you’ll need to read The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry to understand that reference).
Perhaps someone could suggest another walk (through Swindon) that I could research and write about.
Cottages once known as Collier's Row and named after the man who built them
Lower Shaw Farm
An eighteenth century property once the home of the Tuckey family.
