Swindon ( (listen)) is a town in Wiltshire, England. At the 2021 Census the population of the town was 201,669, making it the largest settlement in the county. Located in South West England, Swindon lies between Bristol, 35 miles (56 kilometres) to its west, and Reading, equidistant to its east.
Recorded in the 1086 Domesday Book as Suindune, it was a small market town until the mid-19th century, when it was selected as the principal site for the Great Western Railway's repair and maintenance works, leading to a marked increase in its population. The new town constructed for the railway workers produced pioneering amenities such as the UK's first lending library and a 'cradle-to-grave' healthcare centre that was later used as a blueprint for the NHS.After the Second World War, the town expanded dramatically again, as industry and people moved from London to designated New or Expanded Towns such as Swindon. One of the fastest growing towns in Europe during the second half of the 20th century, its economy diversified, attracting large international companies as the railway works declined and finally closed in the 1980s.Served by the M4 motorway and Great Western Main Line, today, Swindon has the head offices of organisations such as English Heritage, Intel, Nationwide, all of the National Research Councils, the National Trust, UK Space Agency, WHSmith, and Zurich Insurance Group. It also houses the Bodleian Library's Book Storage Facility, the Historic England Archive, and the Science Museum's National Collections.The McArthurGlen Designer Outlet and STEAM Railway Museum are both housed in the renovated former railway works, with the currently closed Oasis Leisure Centre (claimed by some to be the inspiration for the name of the Manchester band), and infamous Magic Roundabout also notable points of interest. The Cotswolds lie just to the town's north and the North Wessex Downs to its south. Avebury, the largest megalithic stone circle in the world, is also nearby.
The town has one professional football team, Swindon Town F.C., who play in League Two at the 15,000-seat County Ground in the town centre. Other teams in the town include the Swindon Wildcats Ice Hockey side and five-time British speedway champions the Swindon Robins.
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