Mannington Retail Park in Swindon is located at a very busy junction where Swindon and West Swindon meet.  We have vague memories of it being constructed in the late 1970s or early 1980s but those buildings have been demolished and new ones built to replace them.  The layout is more or less the same - two car parks with two rows of shops.

From our memory the block where Next to Oak Furnitureland currently stands had a different building on the same plot.  In the previous building was Sandfords on the left, which later became Texas – both were diy and garden stores – and later again this became Allied Carpets, Carpet Right and Matalan.  On the other side of the car park (the new building occupied by John Lewis) were shops called Ultimate, Office World and Comet.

The name Mannington presumably comes from the close by Mannington farm whose land has been swallowed up in the western expansion of Swindon.  The big roundabout next to the retail park is also named Mannington but to us old timers it is known as the Sandfords roundabout.  The next roundabout further along the Great Western Way (going towards town) is the roundabout we knew as Mannington because it is next to Mannington Recreation Park, but that one is actually named Mead Way roundabout.  It used to be quite confusing giving directions, but nowadays we say the roundabout to Sainsburys or John Lewis and everyone knows where we mean!  The given name of Sandfords will no doubt disappear soon so it is nice to have it written down somewhere for posterity!