You won’t find this little book promoted all over social media, which is perhaps a shame. But that wasn’t why it was written. I know we all say our opus magnum has been a labour of love, but for Marcia Church her book was just that.
Marcia lived on Eastcott Hill and in the 1990s she befriended an elderly neighbour, Leonard Page. Leonard was born on July 30, 1904 the only child of Charles and Alice Page. The family lived at 4 Eastcott Hill at the time of Leonard’s birth, moving to number 17 by the time of the 1911 census.
Leonard had a wealth of memories about a bygone Swindon and Marcia decided to write them down as she felt sure they would be of interest to someone. Well, they most definitely are and following her death earlier this year her typed manuscript found its way to Andy Binks, Chairman of the Swindon Society.
Swindon – A Peep at the Past has been published exactly as Marcia typed it – complete with spelling mistakes, typos and wonky printing. It was a labour of love and anyone who reads it will love it too.
Andy Binks says:
“There are dozens of gems, interesting photographs and snippets of yesteryear that we would never have known, if Marcia Church had not listened to friend and neighbour Leonard Page talking about his memories of the past.”
If you have jotted down a few tales and are unsure what to do with it why not get in touch with Andy on info@theswindonsociety.co.uk
