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Thames Reach Housing Development, Swindon or The Nextian Neighbourhood |
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I was alerted to the possibility of this several years ago by several members of the Swindon Town Planning office, as they have tons of new streets to name every year due to Swindon's rapid Northern expansion. (In fact, I've been realiably informed that at current projections Swindon's inexorable march North-West will meet Cirencester's creep South-East around the year 2043. The resulting middle-England Mega-City will be called 'Swindoncester'. Or at least, in my imagination it will. Anyway, they (the Planning Office) asked me if I would mind having the streets named after characters in my books, to which the answer has to be: 'Good Lord of course not!' as this is the closest shot at immortality that I have yet managed to wangle. It's true. At least when I and all my books have been consigned to the dustbin of history, the highly evolved citizens of what was once Swindon might have the following conversation: 1st Citizen: 'Hey, I wonder why this street is called Thursday Street?' 2nd Citizen: 'I have no idea.' 1st Citizen: 'No, really, I think it's kind of weird, don't you?' 2nd Citizen: 'Not particulalry.' 1st Citizen: 'Maybe it's got some relevance - like it's from a book based round here or something from a famous author in those long-forgotten days when potatoes were still considered plants and not animals, quite contrary to what we now know to be the truth.' 2nd Citizen: 'It's not likely, now is it?' 1st Citizen: 'I guess not.' 2nd Citizen: 'Let's talk about something more interesting' 1st Citizen: 'Okay.' *Sigh*. The development was built by Barret and they have a sales office on site at time of writing (July 2007) where you can look at brochures like this one pictured below and talk to the pretty sales assistant. The development is still mostly empty, so all you die-hard Thursday fans can still buy a holiday home in this most august of addresses in this most august of cities. I'll be sending a hoopy-cool-froods special prize (don't get too excited; it probably won't be that hoopy) to the first person who sends some sort of proof that they do indeed live in a house on the Nextian Estate, and actually read my books. You will also have to explain where the 'Hoopy-cool-froods' quote comes from, too - WITHOUT using Google. To view the estate, go North on the A419 from the M4 and then take the exit near the wildly futuristic Motorola building and head down Thamesdown Drive. Thursday Street is the second on the left after the Orbital Shopping Centre, made famous by the attractive archetectural gem of Asda-Walmart. For a local street map click HERE And now, the virtual tour. Click on the signs to see photos of the streets. WARNING: Those of an easily excited temperment may find the viewing disturbing. |
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Swindon Album Index Swindonweb.com Back to Home Page Back to Swindon Index |