On Wednesday 26 March 1986, the hooter which signalled the start and end of each working day sounded for the final time. It brought more than a century of railway engineering in the town to an end.
The anniversary events will begin on Tuesday 24 March at STEAM Museum with a pop-up exhibition in Hawksworth Hall. Local heritage groups will display photographs and artefacts from the time of the closure, alongside a rolling slideshow of press coverage from the final days of the Works.
Exhibitors include Swindon Heritage Preservation and Swindon Society. The exhibition will run until Sunday 29 March.
On Thursday 26 March, Swindon Heritage Preservation will host a ‘Breakfast for the Railway Workers’ at the Central Community Centre in the Railway Village. Former workers will gather to share memories and reflect on their time at the Works.
Later that day, a new long-term exhibition titled The Last Blast will officially open at STEAM. Running until 1 March 2027, it will explore the decline and closure of 143 years of railway engineering in the town.
The exhibition will feature photographs and original artefacts charting the downturn of the Swindon Works, the protest marches held across the town and the eventual closure of the workshops.
At 4.30pm on 26 March, outside STEAM, the replica Swindon Works hooter will sound once again. Powered by steam from a traction engine boiler, it will ring out at precisely the same time it did 40 years ago.
The replica hooter was installed in 2016 as part of the Swindon 175 celebrations. Members of the public are invited to gather to hear the hooter and can then visit the heritage exhibition in Hawksworth Hall free of charge.
The commemorative week continues on Friday 27 March at 7pm with a screening of Railway Town, a 1986 film by Martin Parry. The film traces Swindon’s journey from its early ‘Wild West’ beginnings to becoming one of the fastest-growing towns in Europe at the time.
Tickets are available via the STEAM website.
On Saturday 28 March, a series of talks will be held between 11am and 4pm in Hawksworth Hall. Speakers including Tim Bryan, Andy Binks and Richard Wintle will discuss different aspects of Swindon’s railway history, with book signings also taking place.
Councillor Marina Strinkovsky, Cabinet Member for Placemaking and Planning at Swindon Borough Council, said: “The Railway Works was such an important part of Swindon’s history and its closure 40 years ago had a big impact on the town.
“Many Swindon residents will have relatives or friends who used to work at the Works and will have fond memories of their time there as well as the lifelong friends they will have made.
“I’m glad we’re going to be able to mark this anniversary with the sounding of the iconic hooter and the opening of a new exhibition at STEAM. We’ve also got the showing of Railway Town which, while produced in the 80s, still holds a lot of relevance to the Swindon of today, I watched it a few years back and was fascinated.
“It’s set to be a memorable week and I look forward to seeing it all come together next month.”
Four decades on, the sound of the hooter continues to resonate across the town. For many, it remains a powerful reminder of the industry that helped shape modern Swindon.
