Town Gardens Bowls Club History

Town Gardens is a traditional Victorian style park that remains at the very heart of the local community of Old Town and has a rich combination of historical and cultural heritage along with traditional landscape features. The gardens have a secluded and peaceful atmosphere, largely due to the abundant tree canopy that screens the area from the surrounding residential streets and splits it into a series of discreet gardens. The park’s changing levels are linked by a multitude of paths, in part based on the topographical features and old tracks of the quarry workings. Many of the gardens are formally planted and there are numerous mature specimen trees.

Town Gardens were laid out on the site of a former Purbeck limestone quarry. The quality of the Purbeck stone quarried here gave Swindon an important industry for several hundred years prior to the arrival of the Great Western Railway.

In May 1894, the Town Gardens were officially opened to the public with further developments being carried out in 1902 and 1918. By the 1920s, the remainder of the gardens had been carefully and artistically laid out and planted, including a rose garden.

Town Gardens Bowls club opened in 1912, making it one of the oldest clubs in Swindon.

The club is open from April to September each year, with a total of six rinks.