Swindon & Wiltshire News
Events mark 40 years since closure of railway works
A series of events is being held to mark the 40th anniversary of the closure of Swindon’s Railway Works.
The arrival of the railway in the 1840s saw Swindon grow from a market town of 2,500 people to a bustling railway town.
At its height, 14,000 men and women were employed at the railway works. The decline of the railways and the switch from steam to diesel meant that by the time the works hooter sounded for the final time on 26 March 1986 just 1,000 people were employed at the works.
Commemorations to mark the anniversary of this closure will begin at the town’s STEAM Museum on Tuesday, March 24 with a pop-up exhibition from local heritage groups displaying images and artefacts from the time of the closure.
A rolling slideshow featuring photographs of press coverage covering the closure will be shown alongside displays by Swindon Heritage Preservation, Swindon Society and other groups.
The exhibition will run until Sunday, March 29 in the museum’s Hawksworth Hall.
On Thursday, March 26 Swindon Heritage Preservation will hold a ‘Breakfast for the Railway Workers’, in the Railway Village’s Central Community Centre, where former workers will gather and reminisce about their time at the Works and their memories.
A new exhibition, The Last Blast, will also officially open at STEAM on the same day. This exhibition, which will remain open until March 2027, will tell the story of the demise of 143 years of railway engineering in Swindon.
It will feature photographs and original objects that depict the decline of the Swindon Works, the protest marches held throughout the town and the eventual closure of the railway workshops.
Outside the museum on March 26 at 4.30pm the replica Swindon Works hooter, powered by steam from a traction engine boiler, will ring out across Swindon precisely 40 years after the original hooter sounded, as a poignant reminder of the significance of the railway works closure.
The replica hooter was installed in 2016 as part of the Swindon 175 celebrations.
At 7pm on Friday, March 27, the film Railway Town by Martin Parry will be shown at STEAM.
Produced in 1986, the film charts the story of Swindon from its ‘Wild West’ beginnings to being the fastest growing town in Europe. Tickets can be booked on the STEAM website.
Finally, on Saturday, March 28, a series of talks will take place from 11am to 4pm in Hawksworth Hall at STEAM.
Speakers include Tim Bryan, Andy Binks, and Richard Wintle who will talk about different aspects of Swindon’s railway history. The speakers will also be holding book signings along with other local authors.
Councillor Marina Strinkovsky, Swindon Borough Council’s cabinet member for placemaking and planning, said: “The Railway Works was such an important part of Swindon’s history and its closure 40 years ago had a big impact on the town.
“Many Swindon residents will have relatives or friends who used to work at the Works and will have fond memories of their time there as well as the lifelong friends they will have made.
“I’m glad we’re going to be able to mark this anniversary with the sounding of the iconic hooter and the opening of a new exhibition at STEAM. We’ve also got the showing of Railway Town which, while produced in the 80s, still holds a lot of relevance to the Swindon of today, I watched it a few years back and was fascinated.
“It’s set to be a memorable week and I look forward to seeing it all come together next month.”
