‘Why are we nostalgic about railways?’ by Philip Garrahan
April 10 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Free – £3.00
Philip Garrahan will contrast Swindon’s reputation for railway engineering with its important social history. It was once a complete company town, when the outside observer could be forgiven for thinking the GWR and Swindon were the same.
The new town was built on a greenfield site with innovations in its Railway Village, Medical Social Fund, Mechanics’ Institute, Art School and much more. Our modern nostalgia about railways may overlook how distinctive Swindon was in the age of steam. It’s now time to reset the balance.
Philip Garrahan is a retired university lecturer and is the editor of ‘Made in Swindon: a social history 1840s-1940s’, to be published this year.
Swindon Heritage Preservation (SHP) Full Members – FREE Entry
Guests – £3.00 Entry
Becoming a SHP Full Member gives you full FREE access to our series of talks for Railway 200, along with many other benefits. Full Membership only costs £12 per year! You can learn more about Membership here (https://mechanics-trust.org.uk/membership/).
Photo Credits: The GWR Railway Village – Martin Parry