Swindon Advertiser
Encyclopedia
The Swindon Advertiser is a daily tabloid newspaper
, published in Swindon
. The newspaper was founded in 1854, and had a circulation in 2006 of 22,321.
It claims to have been the UK
's first provincial 'penny-paper'.
It is owned by Newsquest
, the UK subsidiary of U.S.-based Gannett Company
.
It is the original of the four newspapers head-quartered in the Newsquest Wiltshire building in Victoria Road, Swindon, the others being three weeklies:
). Originally intended to be a weekly paper, His aim was to produce a newspaper "that would act as a mouthpiece for the poor." Morris decided to print one issue a month due to the Stamp Tax laws at the time only applying to newspapers published every 28 days.
It was originally printed as a broadsheet
on 6 February 1854 and titled the "Swindon Advertiser and Monthly Record" using a hand press in his father's shop in Wood Street. Morris was sole writer, editor
, printer and also delivered it personally, selling each copy for a penny
. Using the inclusion of advertisements from local businesses, the second edition doubled in size.
Other newspaper companies were influenced by Morris' example of a penny priced paper and quickly produced their own in the region and ultimately throughout the country, resulting in the Government amending the Stamp Tax laws to a more favourable version. The paper became published weekly due to this change. In 1855 Morris could afford to move the publication to new premises in Victoria Road where it has remained. Morris funded the building of Newspaper House and added a printing
shop to the rear.
Morris became infamous in some circles for his scathing and often vitriolic editorials, with one editorial about an incident at Coate Water
in 1861 leading to effigies
of him and copies of his paper being burned in the town.
In the same year, the paper was printed using Steam Power
for the first time. Using a boiler and engine built in the Swindon Works
of the Great Western Railway
, they produced 5,000 copies a week.
In 1870, it was renamed the "Swindon Advertiser and Wiltshire, Berkshire and Gloucestershire Chronicle". William Morris died at the age of 65 in 1891 and the paper passed into the hands of his three sons, William, Samuel and Frank.
Daily publishing began in 1898, with it being renamed the "Evening Advertiser" in 1926.
The company also acquired the "North Wiltshire Herald" in 1922, now titled the "Gazette and Herald
".
Due to paper shortages, the paper became a tabloid during the 1940s, switching back to the broadsheet format after the war
.
With the advances in technology, the paper moved to desktop publishing
methods in the 1980s and then on 6 September 1995 changed back to being published as a tabloid.
In July 2005, the paper changed its name back to the "Swindon Advertiser" and announced its intention to publish two editions a day, with this change came a price rise from 32p to 35p.
In 2006 the 2 editions per day were dropped and only one daily edition was printed, the price remained at 35p. The paper went to print at 4am each morning and was generally on the shelves by 7am, distributed by the fleet of transit vans across Wiltshire.
In November 2008 the paper's cover price was increased from 35p to 38p. It currently stands at 42p after being pushed up in price late 2010.
William Morris (1854-1891)
Simon O'Neill
Mark Waldron
Dave King (2007–present)
Stuart Harrison Chief Photographer
Siobhan Boyle
Crime reporter
Ben Perrin
Health reporter
Hayley Court
Education reporter
Sarah Hilley
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
, published in Swindon
Swindon
Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...
. The newspaper was founded in 1854, and had a circulation in 2006 of 22,321.
It claims to have been the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
's first provincial 'penny-paper'.
It is owned by Newsquest
Newsquest
Newsquest is the third largest publisher of regional and local newspapers in the United Kingdom with 300 titles in its portfolio. Newsquest is based in Weybridge, Surrey and employs a total of more than 5,500 people across the UK...
, the UK subsidiary of U.S.-based Gannett Company
Gannett Company
Gannett Company, Inc. is a publicly-traded media holding company headquartered in Tysons Corner, Virginia, United States, near McLean. It is the largest U.S. newspaper publisher as measured by total daily circulation. Its assets include the national newspaper USA Today and the weekly USA Weekend...
.
It is the original of the four newspapers head-quartered in the Newsquest Wiltshire building in Victoria Road, Swindon, the others being three weeklies:
- Gazette and HeraldGazette and HeraldThe Gazette and Herald is a local weekly paid-for newspaper, established in 1816. Published every Thursday. It serves the areas and communities of Devizes, Calne, Chippenham, Wootton Bassett, Swindon, Marlborough, Malmesbury, Corsham, Box and other areas in North Wiltshire.Originally the Devizes...
- Swindon Star
- Wiltshire TimesWiltshire TimesThe Wiltshire Times is a weekly newspaper published in Trowbridge, Wiltshire in South West England. The paper serves the west Wiltshire towns of Bradford on Avon, Trowbridge, Corsham, Chippenham, Warminster, Westbury and Melksham as well as many of the small villages in the west Wiltshire...
History
The Swindon Advertiser was founded in 1854 by William Morris (Grandfather of Desmond MorrisDesmond Morris
Desmond John Morris, born 24 January 1928 in Purton, north Wiltshire, is a British zoologist and ethologist, as well as a popular anthropologist. He is also known as a painter, television presenter and popular author.-Life:...
). Originally intended to be a weekly paper, His aim was to produce a newspaper "that would act as a mouthpiece for the poor." Morris decided to print one issue a month due to the Stamp Tax laws at the time only applying to newspapers published every 28 days.
It was originally printed as a broadsheet
Broadsheet
Broadsheet is the largest of the various newspaper formats and is characterized by long vertical pages . The term derives from types of popular prints usually just of a single sheet, sold on the streets and containing various types of material, from ballads to political satire. The first broadsheet...
on 6 February 1854 and titled the "Swindon Advertiser and Monthly Record" using a hand press in his father's shop in Wood Street. Morris was sole writer, editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
, printer and also delivered it personally, selling each copy for a penny
British One Penny coin (pre-decimal)
The English Penny, originally a coin of 1.3 to 1.5 g pure silver, includes the penny introduced around the year 785 by King Offa of Mercia. However, his coins were similar in size and weight to the continental deniers of the period, and to the Anglo-Saxon sceats which had gone before it, which were...
. Using the inclusion of advertisements from local businesses, the second edition doubled in size.
Other newspaper companies were influenced by Morris' example of a penny priced paper and quickly produced their own in the region and ultimately throughout the country, resulting in the Government amending the Stamp Tax laws to a more favourable version. The paper became published weekly due to this change. In 1855 Morris could afford to move the publication to new premises in Victoria Road where it has remained. Morris funded the building of Newspaper House and added a printing
Printing
Printing is a process for reproducing text and image, typically with ink on paper using a printing press. It is often carried out as a large-scale industrial process, and is an essential part of publishing and transaction printing....
shop to the rear.
Morris became infamous in some circles for his scathing and often vitriolic editorials, with one editorial about an incident at Coate Water
Coate Water Country Park
Coate Water is a country park situated to the southeast of central Swindon, near Junction 15 of the M4. It takes its name from the main feature, a reservoir originally built to provide water for the Wilts and Berks Canal....
in 1861 leading to effigies
Effigy
An effigy is a representation of a person, especially in the form of sculpture or some other three-dimensional form.The term is usually associated with full-length figures of a deceased person depicted in stone or wood on church monuments. These most often lie supine with hands together in prayer,...
of him and copies of his paper being burned in the town.
In the same year, the paper was printed using Steam Power
Steam engine
A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid.Steam engines are external combustion engines, where the working fluid is separate from the combustion products. Non-combustion heat sources such as solar power, nuclear power or geothermal energy may be...
for the first time. Using a boiler and engine built in the Swindon Works
Swindon Works
Swindon railway works were built by the Great Western Railway in 1841 in Swindon in the English county of Wiltshire.-History:In 1835 Parliament approved the construction of a railway between London and Bristol. Its Chief Engineer was Isambard Kingdom Brunel.From 1836, Brunel had been buying...
of the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
, they produced 5,000 copies a week.
In 1870, it was renamed the "Swindon Advertiser and Wiltshire, Berkshire and Gloucestershire Chronicle". William Morris died at the age of 65 in 1891 and the paper passed into the hands of his three sons, William, Samuel and Frank.
Daily publishing began in 1898, with it being renamed the "Evening Advertiser" in 1926.
The company also acquired the "North Wiltshire Herald" in 1922, now titled the "Gazette and Herald
Gazette and Herald
The Gazette and Herald is a local weekly paid-for newspaper, established in 1816. Published every Thursday. It serves the areas and communities of Devizes, Calne, Chippenham, Wootton Bassett, Swindon, Marlborough, Malmesbury, Corsham, Box and other areas in North Wiltshire.Originally the Devizes...
".
Due to paper shortages, the paper became a tabloid during the 1940s, switching back to the broadsheet format after the war
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
With the advances in technology, the paper moved to desktop publishing
Desktop publishing
Desktop publishing is the creation of documents using page layout software on a personal computer.The term has been used for publishing at all levels, from small-circulation documents such as local newsletters to books, magazines and newspapers...
methods in the 1980s and then on 6 September 1995 changed back to being published as a tabloid.
In July 2005, the paper changed its name back to the "Swindon Advertiser" and announced its intention to publish two editions a day, with this change came a price rise from 32p to 35p.
In 2006 the 2 editions per day were dropped and only one daily edition was printed, the price remained at 35p. The paper went to print at 4am each morning and was generally on the shelves by 7am, distributed by the fleet of transit vans across Wiltshire.
In November 2008 the paper's cover price was increased from 35p to 38p. It currently stands at 42p after being pushed up in price late 2010.
Editors
Michael Van Rhee Aka JavarikoWilliam Morris (1854-1891)
Simon O'Neill
Mark Waldron
Dave King (2007–present)
Photographers
Dave Waters (1958-1998)Stuart Harrison Chief Photographer
Siobhan Boyle
Crime reporter
Ben Perrin
Health reporter
Hayley Court
Education reporter
Sarah Hilley
External links
- swindonadvertiser.co.uk - Homepage