Things to do in Swindon

Things to do in Swindon. Swindon offers so many things for the visitor to do and to enjoy. From music to museums and from art to artefacts and from writers to walks. If you’re looking for what to do in Swindon I trust you’ll find some inspiration here.

For a start, Swindon has a grassroots arts and music scene that’s second-to-none I’d say. Thinking of such things as the Swindon Shuffle and Swindon Open Studios. That’s before we even get to such Swindon family attractions as STEAM museum, Lydiard House and Park, Museum and Art Swindon, and much, much more.

But I’ll come back to all that in a bit. First though I want to say a little about the heritage of this railway town.

Swindon: The heritage of a railway town

While it’s not a hill I’m prepared to die on, I’m willing to put forth an argument that Swindon qualifies as THE most important railway town in Britain. The GWR did after all, change the local area, the country and even the world – its tentacles spread that far. And that’s without considering the achievements of the men, the Mechanics’ Institution and the Medical Fund Society. The latter an influence on the NHS model, celebrated with a blue plaque on the side of Milton Road Baths. You can read an overview of the relationship between Swindon’s healthcare story and that of the nation here.

In the 1840s, the coming of the Great Western Railway transformed a greenfield site near the small market settlement of Swindon, sitting atop a hill. Brunel and Gooch placed their mighty GWR locomotive repair works where they did and everything changed.

The scale of the GWR’s influence was a huge one. It reached its peak in the second quarter of the 20th century. Gradual decline followed and, to cut a long and bitter story short, 1986 saw the Works closed.

Before the Works’ hooter blasted for the final time, many important buildings were recorded and added to Historic England’s register for their historical and architectural significance and their wider national significance. And it just so happens that I’ve written about some of them in my Swindon in 50 Buildings and Swindon in 50 More Buildings books.

Today, the GWR railway village conservation area stands as one of Britain’s best-preserved and architecturally most ambitious railway settlements. One that is worthy of you wandering around it and visiting its park – the GWR Park. 

My Born Again Swindonian guide book – some inspo on what to do in Swindon

The book features well-known and well-loved Swindon attractions such as Coate Water with its marvellous miniature railway, Town Gardens in Old Town and Queen’s Park with its terrific Turtle Storm sculpture and a great gorilla! Not forgetting of course, Lydiard House and Park, the Richard Jefferies Museum and the museum of computing on Theatre Square.

But what it also does is offer less-well known things about those places.

The guide book further features a range of trails including two quiz trails to do with the kids, with answers at the back of the book. It’s urban exploration and doorstep discovery if you will. #lookdownlookaroundlookup

Some films

Fitting with the remit of my guide book is this short film from Swindon Council showcasing the heritage trails available to the public across Swindon and made for a Feel Good Swindonevent in 2021. I appear about 19 mins in talking about the West Swindon Sculpture walk.

One of the trails in the book is a GWR history trail. Below is a fun time-lapse video that whizzes round it, made by a chum for the launch of the book.

Other things to do in Swindon

Almost side by-by-side in what used to be the mighty and magnificent GWR Works you’ll find STEAM museum and the wonderful McArthur Glen designer outlet centre. Though my post about the outlet centre on this blog tells it in an alternative way.

If you’re looking for things to do with kids in Swindon and its environs, then the Day Out with the Kids website is worth a nose around.

But what I’ve set out to do within the posts on this blog and within the pages of my publications, is to show Swindon in a different way. To tell Swindon stories and to encourage you to open your eyes, your hearts and your minds.

Historic Highworth

While New Swindon and Old Town have much to commend them there’s plenty of interest outside Swindon itself but remaining within the borough. Places that it would be remiss of me not to mention.  Highworth for instance, beloved of Betjeman, is well worth a visit. In this post there’s a small flavour of historic Highworth. Closer still is Wroughton. Wroughton has an active local history society.  And their website has a downloadable leaflet of a walk around Wroughton taking in various points of interest.

Beyond the borough

Beyond its own charms, Swindon’s excellent transport connections make it an excellent gateway to:

• Bristol
• Bath
• Cirencester
• Cheltenham and the Cotswolds

Not forgetting of course, London – a mere hour away by train.

Before you start exploring wider Wiltshire make the Visit Wiltshire websi your starting point. But much closer than all of those, but beyond the borough (just) are Purton and Royal Wootton Bassett. The latter of those two boasts a pleasant high street. And Jubilee Lake is worth a visit.

Little more than a stone’s throw from Swindon’s western expansion, Purton first gets a mention in history, in Anglo Saxon writings. Though the Romans left their mark there, as indeed they did in the entire area – notably Cirencester – Roman Corinium. You’ll find a potted Purton history here on the Purton Parish Council website. The village boasts a museum, housed in what used to be a Workers’ Institute – more on that on the Purton Museum and Historical Society website. 

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