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Aerial view looking west, showing extensive railway works nestled between main and branch railway lines.

A Tour of Swindon Heritage Action Zone

This tour celebrates Swindon's railway heritage.

For nearly 150 years Swindon was home to the railway and locomotive works of the Great Western Railway (GWR). From its opening in 1843, the works expanded rapidly and by the early 20th century over 14,000 people worked there. The works closed in 1986 and became a conservation area the following year. Since then, many of its historic buildings have found new uses. The Heritage Action Zone (HAZ) partnership between  Historic England  and  Swindon Borough Council  aims to boost this process, particularly in the railway village.

Explore the Swindon Heritage Action Zone

1

Great Western Railway Works

This black and white aerial photograph was taken in 1938. It shows the Railway Works at their fullest extent, with large factory buildings and numerous railway sidings surrounded by streets of terraced housing and fields beyond.

2

Carriage Works

The Carriage Works were built in the early 1870s for the construction and repair of carriages. The workshops were at first-floor level where the carriages could enter and leave at the level of the mainline tracks. The ground floor was initially used as a canteen for 500 workers. The buildings are currently (2020) in the process of being refurbished and converted to new uses.

Read why number  7 shop  and  8 shop  are listed Grade II.

3

The works entrance and tunnel

When the railway works first opened, workers had to use a dangerous level crossing from the railway village. Increasing numbers of accidents and fatalities prompted the construction of a safer approach through a subway tunnel, which became the main entrance. It was constructed at the same time as the Carriage Works and opened on 5 February 1870.

4

The railway village

In order to house the workforce for the new railway works Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the GWR’s Chief Engineer, designed a new village to the south of the railway line. Brunel’s early layout drawings of 1840 show a grid similar to the final plan of six blocks of terraces on either side of Emlyn Square.

Construction started in 1842 and by 1855 most of the buildings had been completed. Brunel designed only the first block of 1842 (4-25 Bristol Street) himself. As it was visible from the railway line it is in a more decorative style than the others.

5

The former Cricketers' pub

Emlyn Square was originally the High Street of the railway village, whose corner buildings housed several shops, a dispensary and three pubs. This building was erected in 1846 and was in use as a pub by 1859. Its previous names (Cricketers’ Arms and The Cricketers) refer to the cricket ground in the nearby GWR Park.

The Heritage Action Zone initiative aims to refurbish the empty building and find a new use for it.

6

The Mechanics' Institute

In 1854-5 the Mechanics’ Institute was built in the centre of Emlyn Square. A rare example of such an institution at a railway works, it contained a library, reading room, public baths and a first-floor theatre. Behind it there was originally a covered market, which in 1891-3 was replaced by an extension to the reading room. After a fire in 1930 the stage area was rebuilt and a tall new fly tower constructed.

As part of the Heritage Action Zone initiative a detailed plan for a sustainable new use is being developed.

7

Rear alleys

In 1966 all the cottages in the railway village were acquired by the council and refurbished. This included the rebuilding of many outbuildings and kitchen extensions in the rear alleys. In 1970, all of the cottages became listed buildings and five years later the village became a conservation area, recognising its significance as one of Britain’s best-preserved and architecturally most ambitious railway settlements.

8

The Platform

This building, of 1847-54, was initially intended as hostel accommodation for single men (known as ‘the barracks’) but was not a success. It has seen many uses since then: in the 1860s it was briefly used as tenements for Welsh railway workers, before being converted to a Methodist chapel (1869-1959) and to the GWR Museum (1962-2000). It is now a youth centre known as ‘The Platform’.

9

Central Community Centre

The Central Community Centre was built in 1862 as the armoury of the XI Wiltshire Volunteer Rifle Corps, with two adjoining cottages. In 1871 it was converted to an accident hospital run by the Medical Fund Society. Every GWR employee was required to subscribe to the society, which in return provided help with medical bills. The building remained in use as a hospital until 1960 and is now a community centre.

10

Health Hydro

The Medical Fund Dispensary and Swimming Baths were built in 1891 to a design by J J Smith, using bricks from the GWR brick fields. The building housed a wide range of medical and recreational facilities, from swimming baths to Turkish and Russian baths, and doctors’ and dental surgeries. This comprehensive range of services made it an important model for the integrated medical centres which the National Health Service established after 1948.

Now known as the Health Hydro, it is still in use as a public swimming pool, Turkish baths and a gym. The Heritage Action Zone initiative aims to improve its condition to increase use of its facilities.

11

The GWR Park

The GWR Park was acquired by the Great Western Railway in 1844 for use as a recreation ground. Its use as a cricket ground gave the nearby Cricketers’ pub its name. From the 1860s this was the site for the annual GWR children’s fete. In the 1870s the outer perimeter was landscaped and a park-keeper’s lodge erected (since demolished). During the Second World War, around 13 air raid shelters were dug into the northern half.

The Heritage Action Zone initiative aims to assist with the park’s future management.