Swindon 175 launch brochure

MADE IN
Renowned for being the heart of the Great Western Railway, the
Next year, 2016, marks a momentous occasion for our town as
origins of the National Health Service, the first lending library and
we celebrate what is effectively Swindon’s 175th birthday. Back in
the Magic Roundabout - I am, of course, talking about Swindon.
1841 we were a rural hamlet with little to shout about until Great
Until 1848, Swindon was a small market town that began with an
Western Railway directors gave the railway works the go ahead.
Anglo-Saxon settlement atop a limestone hill, known today as
This decision put Swindon on the map, creating an industrial
Old Town. This small market town has become a pillar of growth
powerhouse - the reason our economy is as strong as it is today.
for the UK with its rich history, thriving business and vibrant
communities.
Isambard Kingdom Brunel met Daniel Gooch in 1836, and by
Robert Buckland QC MP
Member of Parliament
for South Swindon
Swindon’s location has always been one of its strengths right
back to 1841 and remains so today. We are in a prime position for
not only industry and commerce, but also a stone’s throw from
1837, Sir Daniel (as he later became) was the ‘Superintendent of
the outstanding natural beauty of the Wiltshire and Cotswold
Locomotive Engines’ for the Great Western Railway. In 1841 after
countryside. We have a widely acclaimed art collection and a truly
a legendary picnic and the allegorical throwing of a sandwich,
talented cultural and arts community.
construction began of the famous Swindon Works and the
I am privileged to chair the Steering Group of Swindon 175
rest is, well, history. Beloved by Betjeman, reconstructed by
which presents a great opportunity not only to celebrate our
David Murray John and re-invented by Honda, Nationwide and
heritage, but to use it as a springboard for future growth. The
many other firms large and small, Swindon continues to spring
railway works put us on the map but Swindon175 can raise the
wonderful surprises.
profile of our town as a place to live and work and with business
Swindon175 is an opportunity for the town to take pride in our
heritage and achievements, and the events being planned for next
year will be a fitting celebration.
As the Member of Parliament for South Swindon and as one
backing we can use the momentum to stimulate another 175 years
of growth.
The anniversary gives us a chance to showcase Swindon’s track
record as a place of economic innovation, with a thriving business
of Daniel Gooch’s political successors, I look forward to seeing
community which will help us enhance ‘brand Swindon’ to attract
our extraordinary town move from strength to strength as we
new waves of investment. At the same time we wish to ensure that
approach our bicentenary.
our celebrations encompass not only our heritage and business,
but most importantly education and our local community groups.
We very much want all businesses in Swindon to be involved,
whether its financially supporting one of our events, staging
your own Swindon175 event or initiative, getting your employees
involved or just featuring our logo. This will all contribute to the
success of a year the whole of Swindon can be proud of.
At the age of just 21, Daniel Gooch was
the first Superintendent of Locomotives
for the Great Western Railway.
The City of Truro became the first steam
locomotive to reach over 100 miles per
hour, 30 years before Flying Scotsman.
Ian Larrard
Director of Business West in
Swindon & Wiltshire
SWINDON
MADE
IN
175 years of industry, innovation and excellence
KING GEORGE V
The most powerful and most beautiful loco from
the golden age of steam. Built in Swindon, 1927.
CITY OF TRURO
Graham Carter, editor of
Swindon Heritage, chooses
some of the highlights from the
town’s rich and proud history
Built in Swindon, the first vehicle of any kind to
reach a speed of 100mph (in 1904).
GWR MEDICAL FUND
THE SWINDON COLLECTION
SWINDON DANCE
GARRARD
EDITH NEW
SPITFIRES
A blueprint for the NHS, founded 101 years
earlier, in Swindon, in 1847.
One of the finest collections of 20th century
British art outside London. Established 1944.
One of Britain’s leading contemporary dance
agencies. Founded in 1979.
Swindon-based inventors of the record
changer, and world leaders for generations.
A key activist during the Votes for Women
campaign. Born in Swindon in 1877.
The world’s most iconic plane, manufactured
at South Marston, near Swindon, from 1943.
SUPERMARINE SWIFT
THE MAGIC ROUNDABOUT
COMMERCE
HOVERCRAFT
THE SWINDON ADVERTISER
MONDEX
South Marston-built jet that set a new world
speed record in 1953.
A revolutionary and highly efficient way to
relieve urban congestion. Opened in 1972.
Home to some of the biggest companies in the
world, and some of the most innovative.
The world’s first commercial hovercraft were
developed by Vickers at South Marston.
‘The Adver’ was a pioneering local newspaper
when it was founded in 1854.
A major step towards cashless transactions,
developed in Swindon in the early 1990s.
SWINDON ARTS CENTRE
TRAINS WITH COMPARTMENTS
CARS
SWINDON VIEWPOINT
RAILWAY VILLAGE
SOCIAL HOUSING
Founded in 1943, Swindon had one of Britain’s
first public arts centres.
Swindon-based GWR engineer William Dean
introduced the first all-corridor train in 1890.
Since the 1950s Swindon has designed and
built cars, including over 2,000,000 Hondas.
Britain’s first public access TV station; still
running on the web after more than 40 years.
Conceived and partly designed by Brunel in the
1840s, restored in the 1970s.
Built in 1919, Pinehurst was one of Britain’s
first complete social housing projects.
SIR WILLIAM STANIER
ARKELL’S
DEACON’S
MECHANICS’ INSTITUTE
MODERN ARCHITECTURE
VICKERS-ARMSTRONG
The Chief Mechanical Engineer of the LMS,
who was born in Swindon in 1876.
Swindon’s oldest company, and one of the UK’s
oldest family brewers. Founded in 1843.
Founded in 1848 and still family-run,
timekeepers for the GWR.
Founded 1844. One of the finest examples of
co-operation in a fledgling community.
Swindon’s pioneering buildings include Sir
Norman Foster’s Renault Building of 1983.
Development and equipment for Concorde,
nuclear power and the first heart transplant.
On September 13th, 1840 Daniel Gooch penned this
And it wasn’t just their physical condition that the
letter to the Great Western Railway’s Chief Engineer,
GWR looked after, again from worker subscriptions
Isambard Kingdom Brunel recommending Swindon
the Mechanics Institute improved their education
as the location for the GWR’s ‘principle engine
and it was here that the very first lending library was
establishment.
created. The GWR quickly got a reputation for having
The GWR board of directors approved Gooch’s
plans and on February 25th, 1841 they formerly
the best educated workers in the land.
So Swindon quickly expanded and with it small
approved them, construction began immediately and
companies sprang up with the same approach of
a new railway town was born.
innovation and excellence.
Brunel and Gooch, were building the greatest
The reputation of the GWR workforce spread and
railway the world had ever seen, dubbed ‘God’s
in turn larger companies moved to the area to tap
Wonderful Railway’ the construction of the railway
into the skilled workforce and the Swindon DNA of
between London and Bristol was full of engineering
business, innovation and excellence.
feats of excellence and innovation.
Their architectural beauty is matched by that of
Over the following 175 years Swindon has played
an important part in this nation’s history, building
their engineering ingenuity and it is testament that
Spitfires, shaping the Mini and making over two
they still form an integral part to the workings of the
million Honda cars. Become home to the European
modern GWR.
Headquarters for Intel, to Nationwide – the largest
Initially designed as only a ‘repair shed’ the first locomotive,
building society in the UK and Zurich, one of the
‘Premier’, was built in 1846 in just two weeks and fittingly
largest insurance companies in the world. Along with
renamed ‘Great Western’.
a host of small innovative companies they are the
But it wasn’t just locomotives that Gooch built, he inspired
reason our economy is as strong as it is today.
a new social way of life. His donation of £1000 kick started the
revolutionary GWR Medical Fund, a system whereby workers
contributed to their own medical well being.
The ‘Hooters’ called the men and women of the
GWR to work for nearly 120 years and sounded
10 times to announce the start of the Great War.
Over 120 Mark XXI Spitfires were made in
Swindon from 1943 following the bombing of
the Supermarine factory in Southampton.
Picture: King George V at
the Swindon Works.
Two heroes return home for
Swindon175 celebrations
STEAM – Museum of the Great Western Railway is thrilled
Designed by George Jackson Churchward, the City of Truro
at the return of two of the most iconic locomotives to be
became the first vehicle to travel at over 100 miles per hour
made in Swindon, King George V and City of Truro.
on May 9th, 1904.
No.6000 King George V (KGV), the first King Class
Recorded by Charles Rous-Marten at Wellington Bank in
locomotive, was designed by Charles B Collet and was
Somerset, the GWR did not want the record publicised as it
the most powerful 4-6-0 engine made by GWR.
was thought this could put people off travelling by train.
Probably the best known
The two
‘King’ Class locomotive, it was
locomotives will
built in June 1927 and almost
feature in refreshed
immediately shipped to the
displays at STEAM
United States to feature in the
to celebrate
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
Swindon175 and will
centenary celebrations.
include three new
There it took the US by
exhibitions to mark
storm, out-performing all
the huge role Sir
others during the celebrations
Daniel Gooch played
and was presented with a bell
in creating the GWR
and gold medals which it still
Railway Works.
carries today.
Picture: City of Truro
Moving a large, heavy
and extremely precious
cargo
The job of moving these icons of the railway by road was
the responsibility of renowned heavy haulage specialists,
Moveright International.
Formed in 1984 by Andrew Goodman, they specialise
in moving the odd, the awkward and the difficult, not
only across the UK but across the world including taking
Stephenson’s Rocket to Japan.
Moving King George V and City of Truro seems quite
routine, however it still required months of careful
planning. Travelling down from the festival at Tyseley the
locomotives travelled at a speed of 31 miles per hour
with the low loaders averaging 2.9 miles per gallon.
For more pictures of the locomotives returning
home visit www.calyxpix.com
To see more of what Moveright International
have moved visit www.moverightinternational.com
Swindon175
arts culture
&
Swindon175 is proud to be opening its doors to performers,
exhibitors and creators giving the opportunity to showcase talent
and wares.
We have so much to celebrate when it comes to culture and the
arts, with numerous dramatic, dance and musical societies
in Swindon some with a very strong foothold.
Probably our most historical theatre company and one born
out of the Great Western Railway is the Western Players. Originally
known as the “Mechanics’ Institute Amateur Theatrical Club in
1854, several name changes later it became the Western Players
in 1949.
The Swindon Light Opera Society (SALOS), have been
performing since 1951 and the Swindon Gilbert and Sullivan
Society since 1969.
Ken White – No regrets
Sixth Sense, Swindon’s only professional theatre company,
will celebrate its 30th birthday next year and Swindon Festival
of Literature is now 20 years old.
Relative newcomers to the circuit, Liberatus School of
Performing Arts with patrons Arlene Philips and Bruno Tonioli,
The Chocolate Theatre Company, the Shoebox Theatre and
Theatre Ink are also very prominent on the map and there’s simply
not enough room to mention them all.
Swindon is also very proud of its extremely talented art scene
and with great names like Ken White and David Bent.
Ken’s talent for murals is famed and his work for Virgin Group
still survives today, with his famous Scarlet Lady adorning Virgin
Atlantic’s aircraft.
David’s reputation as an aviation artist is recognised across
the world and his work has been exhibited widely including private
showings for the Royal family.
King George V swaps places with Lode Star
Picture courtesy of Calyx.
Our local artists are a very important asset for the town and
exhibitions large and small are always found on display.
As well as being jewellers to Queen
Victoria, Garrard record decks were
exported the world over.
Swindon has been shaping the Mini
since the seventies and has made over
two million Honda cars.
David Bent – Timeless
What’s being planned...
Through Swindon175, we can celebrate with great pride our past,
present and future and certainly raise the profile of our town, our
community and our region.
It’s very clear that we have an abundance of talent in our town
and who want to be involved with us as we celebrate Swindon’s
birthday. We are looking for business involvement to help us
achieve our programme of events and showcase the town, its
people and its culture.
We have already teamed up with Swindon Arts Trail which
will see a month long exhibition of great works by a plethora of
Swindon artists. The Swindon Fringe Festival, which will run for ten
days and will feature various acts from comedy to plays to music
gigs. One of our largest events, so far in the diary, is when the
Swindon Symphony Orchestra raise the roof at STEAM. We are also
working with the Janice Thompson Performance Trust to stage the
aptly named Youth and Community Opera ‘Brunel: The Little Man
in the Tall Hat’.
Away from the stage but very much part of Swindon’s past
and present, Arkell’s Brewery will be brewing three new 175
Celebration ales, and Deacons Jewellers have commissioned
a limited edition Swindon175 pocket watch.
For model rail enthusiasts, Hatton’s Model Railways have
produced a STEAM Museum ‘00’ gauge model ‘King George V’
which is due out in February 2016.
Not only will we be celebrating the previous 175 years, we
are looking to the future as well with a series of Distinguished
Speaker events which will include key business leaders,
economists and politicians.
If you would like to know more about Swindon175 and the events
we are planning or if you want to get more involved please
contact me, Caroline Black Project Manager of Swindon175 on
caroline@swindon175.com
Swindon Dance is dedicated to creating
and developing the dance, dancers and
audiences of tomorrow.
Firmly embedded in the national
dance sector, with a 35-year track record
and national reputation for providing
high-quality dance training in Swindon
and the South West.
SWINDON
DANCE
What’s being planned...
Swindon Fringe Festival
The Fringe is now in its fourth year and has
gone from strength to strength. From an event
which featured 3 local companies in 2013;
the Swindon Fringe hosts performances from
Janice Thompson Performing Trust
local, national and international companies.
To celebrate SWINDON 175 the JTPTRUST charity is proposing a
The Swindon Fringe 2016 will run between
fresh production of the Youth and Community Opera ‘Brunel: The
the 1st and 10th April in venues including
Little Man in the Tall Hat’.
STEAM, The Shoebox Theatre, Swindon Dance,
The sixty- minute opera was originally commissioned for the
Brunel 200 South-West celebrations and features 100 singers
and performers. It tells the story of the life of Isambard Kingdom
The Vic, MECA and Swindon’s primary theatre
The Wyvern.
This year’s fringe schedule is being
Brunel, through the eyes of the a fictitious Swindon family of
finalised and features a wide mix of drama,
Railway Workers (the ’Beddows’) who are off on the annual Railway
music, comedy, dance and one person shows,
Works ‘Trip Train’ to St Ives.
which cover the entire breadth of theatre
styles and tastes.
Swindon Arts Trail
The Swindon Fringe 2016 is a very special one as it falls
2015’s Fringe featured shows from companies as far
in the year of the Swindon175 celebrations that run for the
The Swindon Arts Trail will feature some of the very best art Made
afield as Serbia and Sardinia, and this year’s includes
whole of 2016 and celebrate the 175th anniversary of the
in Swindon, displayed at venues across the town.
companies from India, Italy & Eastern Europe.
opening of the Swindon Railway works.
The trail is organised by two local artists and developed as a
natural ‘spin-off’ event of the popular, well-established Swindon
The Works Hooter
Open Studios weekends.
From around 1867, the beginning of the working day was
Venues hosting the trail range from the historic (Steam
marked by the mournful sound of the Works hooter, as
it was noted the GWR were capable of duplicating hooters
Museum, Swindon Dance, The Beehive, The Glue Pot) to the
domestic and personal timepieces were beyond the pocket
indefinitely!
modern (Darkroom Espresso, Artsite, the Central Library). Visitors
of the many. The hooter was sounded for 10mins at 5.20am,
to the trail will be able to enjoy fresh and exciting ceramics, textile
3mins at 5.50am, and 1min at 6.00am. Men would walk
to raise Swindon from its slumbers at 6.45am, until the
art, a new community mural, fine art drawing and painting – all of
from outlying villages, including Highworth, Cricklade,
closure of the Works on 26th March 1986, when the iconic
which have a close link with Swindon.
Wootton Bassett, and in the case of our own Hammerman
sound was heard for the last time. With prevailing wind
Poet Alfred Williams, from South Marston. The Hooter
conditions the sound was reported to have carried over
and urban heritage (Ken White, David Bent, David Robinson, Tim
signaled lunch and finishing times, 6 days a week, totaling
twenty miles.
Carroll, Mark Worrall, Juliet Wood, The Visual Drop). Others highlight
54hours of the working week.
Many of the artists featured draw inspiration from our industrial
Brunel: The little man in the tall hat.
The authorities eventually allowed the matter to drop, as
the natural beauty and open spaces to be found across Swindon
(Beverley Greig, Caroline Day, Terry Humphries, Susan Carr).
In 1872 Lord Bollingbroke complained that it woke him
Two hooters with their distinctive sound have continued
THE hooter house survives today, a listed building in
the Outlet Village, but no longer vibrates to the sound of
prematurely at his Lydiard Park estate some 3 ½ miles
the hooter, nor sends clouds of steam into the air. Part of
away. Through Government Board action the Hooter was
our 175 celebrations next year will be to re-create the live
silenced, but the solution for the GWR, was promoted by a
steam hooter for Swindon, and remember the closure of the
local MP, which saw a duplicate Hooter placed to the side of
works 30 years ago.
the disused one.
Swindon175 launch is sponsored by
Swindon Station by Tim Carroll
Swindon175 logo and brochure designed by Paul R Gentleman Associates Ltd