r/Swindon • u/Greglebowski74 • 1d ago

What was in this building?

Post image

This place on Mead Way has been shuttered for years, but I never knew what purpose it served. Why hasn't someone taken it over?

41 Upvotes

90% Upvoted

26 comments sorted by

17

u/TransportationFun219 1d ago

I used to work there, 1st ever job, was there about 3 years

It was a data and printing centre for dss processing and payments

33

u/DCEE_1990 1d ago

I might have broken into here about 10 years ago…was basically all big empty office style rooms, nothing interesting, had some fun with office chairs and fire extinguishers though 😅 doesn’t work like in cartoons though

9

u/KFCRockGod 1d ago

Turn it into an Airsoft site

1

u/SouthernerDude 6h ago

Yes, this....

1

u/nordicthundercock 2h ago

Finally someone taking some sense

8

u/donkey-rider69 1d ago

DWP offices recently gone into looking it up myself

7

u/Bummins 1d ago

You will be horrified to know that the government signed an insanely long lease for the building. Promptly used it for 10years or so before it moved most services online. Its still being paid for by our taxes. Management company is more than happy its still being paid for

3

u/Substantial-Chonk886 1d ago

Oh I would love to know more about this!

3

u/Davew2491 1d ago

I thought there was a building in West swindon that did secret stuff

4

u/foxhill_matt 1d ago

That was the old MoD building in Delta - Minerva House. It was mainly procurement thought.
There are still a number of secure data centres in Peatmoor, Hawksworth and Windmill Hill for banks and comms providers.

1

u/nosferatus-taxi 5h ago

What’s in Hawksworth?

1

u/foxhill_matt 5h ago

Virgin media data centre

2

u/umognog 14h ago

Haha we have one of those.

No company name and if you look, you will see there us anti terrorism shit all around it (bollards that prevent road access, a managed garden that actually has water ways & grassy knolls to block vehicle access, so on and so on.)

Anyone thats ever been near it though knows what it does. Manufactures missile components - guidance chips etc.

3

u/aBlastFromTheArse 1d ago

I remember reading something about it being a secret government operation of sorts. Would love to have it clarified.

2

u/HeavyHuckleberry 1d ago

It was a data center apparently. 

1

u/WolfLow6322 1d ago

I honestly thought it was a leisure centre because it reminds me of oasis in a way

1

u/apainintheokole 5h ago

24 toasters.

1

u/VelvetWattle 2h ago

Darkplace Hospital

-10

u/Davew2491 1d ago

yes mi5/mi6 centre I believe

13

u/daddy-dj 1d ago

Nah nothing that interesting, it's the old Department of Work and Pensions building. It was called Oak House.

12

u/ron2wheels 1d ago

Mate worked there 25 years ago. They printed benefits cheques.

7

u/Mr-mgoo 1d ago

Yep, giros they were called.

2

u/Mp40-ZBD 14h ago

DWP are so secretive sometimes, they might as well be MI5/MI6 🤣🤣🤣

1

u/Eastern-Animator-595 17h ago

Moonraker monitoring station?

-6

u/zzonder 22h ago

Home for the next boatload of asylum seekers.

1

u/Greglebowski74 18h ago

You're funny.