Swindon Mechanics' Institute is a

Grade II* In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

listed building in

Swindon Swindon () is a town in Wiltshire, England. At the time of the 2021 Census the population of the built-up area was 183,638, making it the largest settlement in the county. Located at the northeastern edge of the South West England region, Swi ...

, Wiltshire, England. It is located in the railway village area, which is today part of a

conservation area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewoo ...

. The Swindon

Mechanics' Institute Mechanics' institutes, also known as mechanics' institutions, sometimes simply known as institutes, and also called schools of arts (especially in the Australian colonies), were educational establishments originally formed to provide adult edu ...

served workers from the

Swindon Railway Works Swindon Works was opened by the Great Western Railway in 1843 in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. It served as the principal west England maintenance centre until closed in 1986. History In 1835, Parliament approved the construction of the Great ...

History

A library was started in Swindon in 1843, and the following year the Mechanics' Institution was founded "for the purpose of disseminating useful knowledge and encouraging rational amusement" among the

Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a History of rail transport in Great Britain, British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, ...

's employees. The first president was

Daniel Gooch Sir Daniel Gooch, 1st Baronet (24 August 1816 – 15 October 1889) was an English railway locomotive and transatlantic cable engineer. He was the first Locomotive Superintendent, Superintendent of Locomotive Engines on the Great Western Ra ...

. There were fifteen founder members, and the library then held about 130 books. Paid for via subscription by the GWR workers based at

, the building was designed and constructed by Edward Roberts and completed in 1855. It contained a lending library and provided health services to workers. It was enlarged in 1892-93 to a design by

Brightwen Binyon Brightwen Binyon, FRIBA, (30 May 1846 – 21 September 1905) was a British architect. Early life and education Brightwen Binyon was born at Headley Grange, Victoria Park, Manchester, on 30 May 1846, to Jane née Brightwen (1805–1890) and Edw ...

, after which the committee opened up its health services to other local workers. Nye Bevan, mastermind of the

NHS The National Health Service (NHS) is the term for the publicly funded health care, publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom: the National Health Service (England), NHS Scotland, NHS Wales, and Health and Social Care (Northern ...

, later said: After the Institute closed in 1986, and after succumbing to both vandals and arsonists, it was saved from demolition by the council. In 2003 the building was acquired by Forefront Estates, who have been served with an urgent works notice by the

Borough of Swindon The Borough of Swindon is a unitary authority area with borough status in Wiltshire, England. Centred on Swindon, it is the most north-easterly district of South West England. History The first borough of Swindon was a municipal borough, ...

References

{{coord, 51.5618, -1.7911, format=dms, type:landmark_region:GB-SWD, display=title Buildings and structures in Swindon Grade II* listed buildings in Wiltshire