Teachers fulfill a vital role in filling the void – and there are so many stories of life in Victorian Swindon that it is a gift topic! How did people live without bathrooms and electricity? What was the Juvenile Fete or Trip Week? And not forgetting those wonderful locomotives built when the Works was one of the biggest factories in Europe. But it was a hard life, so people had to work together to develop solutions. Learn how our Mechanics Institution was one of the UK’s first public lending libraries, how our Medical Fund was an inspiration for Nye Bevan’s NHS, and how it helped pave the way for the adoption of National Insurance contributions. Not much remains of the GWR Works, but children can learn to put questions to people who worked there, know where to look for and recognise what is left; and be justly proud of its legacy.
If you are a school interested in a particular aspect of our local history, a great place to start is the Swindon Heritage Preservation Trust (www.mechanics-trust.org.uk) they run school tours around the Railway Village and the Museum on Faringdon Road.
Get in touch with me for more information and teacher notes to accompany the book.
