The Messenger, Swindon

The building that houses the Messenger is like a dining hall on a US military base…stark, utilitarian, window-poor, and frankly oppressive.  This belies the warm welcome you receive and the very comfortable (if cavernous) interior.  Late Thursday afternoon before the Roil Wedding Bank Holiday there were easily two dozen customers but the place seemed nearly empty.  A guy made his way across the expanses from table to table and finally came to me, seeking a game of billiards; I’m lousy at it in the best of situations, but the shoulder injuries really limit my range of motion and I had to beg off.  Instead, we had a brief chat about Atlanta sports teams while I finished up my beverage then headed over tothe betting parlor across the square to place a fiver on Prince Philip being spotted snoozing at the wedding (33:1 odds).