How the canals and railways connected Swindon - a guided tour

In 1810 the 52 mile Wilts & Berks Canal was built in order to bring coal from Somerset to Wiltshire and Berkshire. It was followed in 1819 with a further 8 miles of the North Wilts canal which connected Swindon to Latton. Less than 25 years later the GWR track between London and Bristol was completed connecting Swindon to the new expanding UK rail network. The canal brought vital supplies of stone to build the GWR Works buildings and coal to fire the boilers and engines. But the faster railway service eventually brought about the demise of the canals and they gradually fell into decline. For more than a century Swindon was a railway town and the hub for the entire GWR network where all new locomotives, GWR rolling stock and other components were manufactured. Alongside the Works GWR built an industrial estate for their employees and they in turn pioneered innovative solutions to address their social, educational and health needs, leaving a legacy in the form of some of Swindon's most significant and historic public buildings.

This guided tour is about 1.3miles / 2km long and mainly flat. It will end in the Carriage Works where you will see how this industrial building is currently being re-imagined as a networking hub to connect start up organisations in the creative sector. Meet at the Faringdon Road entrance to GWR Park.

Timings & Tours

Tuesday 10 September:

1000

Location & directions

Faringdon Road entrance to GWR Park, Swindon, Wiltshire, sn1 5dj

Directions:

Meet your guides just inside the Faringdon Road entrance to GWR Park

Contact on day:

Karen Julia Phimister

Telephone number:

+447392109774

Booking information

Pre-booking requirement:

Pre-booking preferred

Booking conditions:

Please book your space(s) through Karen Phimister at E:[email protected] or T:07392 109774

Booking contact name:

Karen Julia Phimister

Booking telephone number:

+447392109774

Booking email:

[email protected]

Accessibility details

Wear sensible shoes, paths may be uneven. Parking available in the Brunel carparks and the Bristol Street carpark

Additional information

Max no of people per tour:

15

Est. tour duration:

2 hour(s)

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