STEAM – Museum of the Great Western Railway

The museum is housed within the former Swindon Railway Works, established in 1843 as a repair and maintenance facility for the GWR. Under the visionary leadership of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the works expanded rapidly, and by 1900, it employed over 12,000 individuals. At its zenith in the 1930s, the facility spanned more than 300 acres and was capable of producing three locomotives per week. However, post-World War II industrial shifts led to a decline in railway manufacturing. The last steam locomotive built for British Railways, the “Evening Star,” was completed at Swindon in 1960. Subsequent years saw portions of the works closed, culminating in the complete shutdown of the facility in 1986.