Museum and Art Swindon. ‘O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!‘ It’s open again! In the civic offices on Euclid Street, just about in the town centre. It’s not far from the train station and Regent Circus is a spit of a distance across the road.
It’s a good four years since our beloved Swindon museum and art gallery in Old Town’s Apsley House closed. Well it didn’t so much close as wasn’t reopened, post Covid restrictions, by the previous (Conservative) borough council administration. But now, thanks to herculean and heroic efforts by the incoming (2023) Labour council and council and museum staff our art and artefacts are returned to us.
Rebranded
It’s rebranded as Museum and Art Swindon and located on the unused top floor of the under-appreciated Art Deco glory of the civic offices*.
What’s more it’s bigger and brighter and better in oh so many ways than it was before. Apsley House, as lovely as it was, wasn’t ever adequate. And had become less and less so as the years passed. They’ve installed a lift here so it’s accessible. And there are toilets on the museum floor too, so no need to go all the way back down for purposes of relieving oneself.
As you enter the museum area you go into the shop area – some quality merch I gotta say! I bought a fridge magnet and splashed out on a cushion that features a painting in the collection by Desmond Morris. Lord knows I’ve got enough cushions to stock Dunelm but I just love it.
*The Civic Offices and Apsley House feature in my Swindon in 50 Buildings book. More info on that here: https://swindonian.me/my-swindon-publications/swindon-in-50-buildings/
Great Expectations
Appreciating that SBC had at their disposal a packet of Blu-Tak, a roll of Sellotape, a ball of string and 10 shillings raided from someone’s piggy bank, with which to bring this project forward, great expectations I did not have. Water into wine I did not expect. As for a silk purse from a sow’s ear – nah.
But – on getting a preview of it a few months ago, and despite my inability to visualize things, my expectations rose a little. Now I’ve seen it? Well – what they’ve done with it has exceeded my expectations by miles. A feeling shared by many others I know. It’s little short of a miracle I’d say.
It boasts a lovely area for children – a taster below. That was something that Apsley House simply didn’t have. And there are other interactive bits throughout the museum. It’s well thought out.
There’s a lot to see there – and I could stuff this post with so many photos that it would take hours to load so I’ll pretty much leave it here bar two or three things.
1. It was kinda lovely to see this bottle (image below) from the Cricketer’s Arms in the railway village. More about that ex-drinking establishment here.
2. The gharial (the crocodile) – isn’t yet returned but will be at length. Meanwhile find out more about Swindon’s famous crocodile here.
3. Refreshment opportunities – there aren’t any. And, as soon as it’s at all possible, SBC need to address this. If they want MAAS to be a destination (and one assumes they do) then a place of refreshment is VITAL. #JUSTSAYING And it needs to be decent – the cafe at STEAM is, to be frank, bloody awful.
That chunter aside – kudos and thanks to everyone that made this happen! It feels soooooo good to have it back.
Opening hours and location
Museum and Art Swindon is inside the civic offices. The full address is Euclid Street, SN1 2JH
Tuesday to Saturday 10:30am to 4:30pm
Monday and Sunday Closed.
For location and planning your visit go here: https://www.museumartswindon.com/visit/plan-your-visit/
The Friends of Swindon Museum and Art
There’s surely not a better, as the place finds it feet, time to become a member of the Friends of Swindon Museum and Art?
The Friends of Museum and Art Swindon (FMAS) is a voluntary organisation. It promotes and publicises Swindon Museum and Art Gallery and its activities to as wide a public as possible. It raises funds to buy new items for the museum and encourages sponsorship for the improvement of the collections and facilities.
We’re a registered charity – Charity No. 1050267. We launched in July 1993 with a talk by our patron, the surrealist painter and zoologist, Dr Desmond Morris.
FMAS are dedicated to the development, maintenance and enhancement of the best possible museum and art gallery for Swindon. Something that’s for the benefit of both Swindon residents and visitors from elsewhere. We act as local champions, providing input to management and ensuring formal community involvement in Council decision-making.
And finally – related to the living, breathing Poirot set that is the civic offices:
