Swindon
§ This page gives an overview of the Swindon local authority district, bringing together key facts, maps, and data to help you quickly understand the area. One of 361 district profiles on Baseview.
Overview ⁞ Swindon, in Wiltshire, is a large town surrounded by countryside and villages. Its heritage is tied to the Great Western Railway, celebrated at the STEAM Museum. The town centre has modern shopping areas, theatres, and parks, while Old Town retains historic streets and pubs. Nearby countryside includes the Marlborough Downs and Cotswold fringes, offering rolling landscapes and walking trails. The Ridgeway, an ancient path, runs close by, highlighting the area’s historic and scenic importance.
The administrative boundary of Swindon can be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of Swindon.
Key Facts about Swindon
What region is Swindon in? Swindon is in the South West of England, a region within the UK.
What county is Swindon in? Swindon is in the county of Wiltshire.
Is Swindon a city? No, Swindon is not a city. (Note: the UK has 76 officially designated cities.)
Who governs Swindon? The local government for this district is: Swindon Borough Council (Unitary Authority).
▶ Official website of Swindon Borough Council 🔗 swindon.gov.uk
Which police force covers Swindon? Policing in Swindon is provided by Wiltshire Police 🔗 wiltshire.police.uk, which serves 2 local authority districts: Swindon ⁞ Wiltshire.
Swindon in International Geographies
In the International Territorial Levels (ITLs) hierarchy, Swindon is an ITLs Level 3 area:
- (ITL 1) South West
- (ITL 2) ⇒ Gloucestershire and Wiltshire
- (ITL 3) ⇒⇒ Swindon
The International Territorial Levels are used by OECD member countries for statistical purposes to classify administrative areas. We have this listable page for easy browsing of ITL names and codes: International Territorial Levels.
Constituencies in Swindon
A constituency is a specific geographical area that elects one Member of Parliament (MP) to represent them in the House of Commons. The United Kingdom is divided into 650 parliamentary constituencies. We have this list page for easy browsing of all UK parliamentary constituencies: List of Constituencies.
Wards in Swindon
Swindon is divided into 20 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Blunsdon and Highworth
- Central
- Chiseldon and Lawn
- Covingham and Dorcan
- Eastcott
- Gorse Hill and Pinehurst
- Haydon Wick
- Liden, Eldene and Park South
- Lydiard and Freshbrook
- Mannington and Western
- Old Town
- Penhill and Upper Stratton
- Priory Vale
- Ridgeway
- Rodbourne Cheney
- Shaw
- St Andrews
- St Margaret and South Marston
- Walcot and Park North
- Wroughton and Wichelstowe
In the UK, a ward is a subdivision of a local authority area, used mainly for electoral and statistical purposes. Defined by the ONS, wards represent the primary unit for local elections, each returning one or more councillors to the local council. Wards are also used as a key geography for presenting population and census data.
Parishes in Swindon
Swindon is fully parished: 20 civil parishes, listed A-Z below.
- Bishopstone
- Blunsdon
- Castle Eaton
- Central Swindon North
- Chiseldon
- Covingham
- Hannington
- Haydon Wick
- Highworth
- Inglesham
- Liddington
- Nythe, Eldene and Liden
- South Marston
- South Swindon
- St Andrews
- Stanton Fitzwarren
- Stratton St Margaret
- Wanborough
- West Swindon
- Wroughton
A civil parish is the lowest tier of local government in England, used for villages, small towns, and suburbs. They have their own local authority, either a parish council or a parish meeting, which provides local services like managing parks, allotments, and streetlights, and represents the community's views to larger councils.
Built-up Areas in Swindon
Swindon covers 12 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Bishopstone (Swindon)
- Blunsdon St Andrew
- Broad Blunsdon
- Chiseldon
- Highworth
- Kempsford *
- Liddington
- South Marston
- Stratton St Margaret
- Swindon (Swindon) *
- Wanborough
- Wroughton
In the UK, a Built-up Area (BUA) is a continuous urban area of at least 20 hectares (0.2 km²), defined by the ONS as land where buildings are generally no more than 200 metres apart, such as towns, cities, or large villages. (Note: A BUA name marked with an asterisk (*) indicates that the area is situated partly in the district of Swindon.)
Swindon compared with other districts in the UK
This section shows how Swindon compares with other local authority districts in the UK, using a variety of measures and rankings.
Swindon has 20 electoral wards.
Swindon has a population of 243,875 (2024 mid-year estimate by ONS)
More local statistics and data for Swindon can be found on the ONS statistics for Swindon.