M40 M1 M5 OXFORD PRIME A420

M4 CARDIFF LONDON TOWN A34 M25 M3 PRIME SOUTHAMPTON LOCATION

2 OPPORTUNITY WITHIN AN HOUR OF FIVE CITIES, SWINDON HAS EXCEPTIONAL TRANSPORT LINKS TO LONDON, HEATHROW, THE MIDLANDS AND SOUTH WEST.

SWINDON IS FORWARD THINKING WITH THE ABILITY TO SURPRISE AND DELIGHT.

4 HISTORIC FROM LOCOMOTIVE TO AUTOMOTIVE. FROM ENGINEERING TO PIONEERING.

STEAM MUSEUM OF THE GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY 6 THE GREAT WESTERN

OFFERINGRAILWAY SOMETHING PUT NEW SWINDON AND DIFFERENT, ON SWINDON IS A FORWARDTHE THINKING MAP PLACEAND WITH NOW THE ABILITYTHERE TO SURPRISE AND DELIGHT.IS A NEW DAWN IN OUR RICH HISTORY.

8 SWINDON HAS BEEN AT THE FOREFRONT OF NEW TECHNOLOGY. EVER RESPONSIVE TO ECONOMIC CHANGES AND OPPORTUNITIES WE HAVE DEVELOPED FROM THE OFFERING SOMETHING NEW AND DIFFERENT, SWINDON IS A RAILWAYS OF THE 19TH CENTURY TO FORWARD THINKING PLACE WITH THE ABILITY TO SURPRISE AND THE SPITFIRES OF THE 20TH, TO THE DELIGHT. HYDROGEN CARS OF THE 21ST.

SWINDON TOWN CENTRE 10 IN SEPTEMBER 1840 A YOUNG DANIEL GOOCH, THEN SUPERINTENDENT OF LOCOMOTIVES FOR THE GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY WROTE A LETTER TO ISAMBARD KINGDOM BRUNEL RECOMMENDING SWINDON AS THE LOCATION FOR THE NEW ENGINE REPAIR STATION. THE PLANS WERE APPROVED ON 25TH FEBRUARY 1841 AND A NEW RAILWAY TOWN WAS BORN WHICH WAS TO BECOME FAMOUS THE WORLD OVER.

KING GEORGE V - THE MOST POWERFUL AND MOST BEAUTIFUL LOCO FROM THE GOLDEN AGE OF STEAM. BUILT IN SWINDON, 1927.

STEAM MUSEUM OF THE GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY 12 WE’RE PROUD OF OUR HERITAGE AND AMBITIOUS FOR THE FUTURE.

AMBITION SWINDON IS IN THE TOP FIVE FASTEST GROWING TOWNS AND CITIES IN THE UK.

SWINDON CENTRAL LIBRARY 14 SWINDON IS A MIX OF OLD AND NEW, RURAL AND URBAN.

THE DIFFERENT PARTS OF OUR TOWN HAVE VERY DISTINCTIVE ARCHITECTURE, RANGING FROM MODERN, CONTEMPORARY, NEW BUILDS TO AMAZING19TH- CENTURY VICTORIAN BUILDINGS.

SWINDON DESIGNER OUTLET SHOPPING CENTRE IN THE RESTORED GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY WORKS 16 ’S BIGGEST SHOPPING CENTRE WITH OVER 500 BUSINESSES - SWINDON’S TOWN CENTRE HAS A MIX OF RETAIL AND LEISURE WITH OVER £350 MILLION OF PLANNED REGENERATION TO COME.

REGENT CIRCUS, SWINDON TOWN CENTRE 18 SWINDON’S COMMITTED TO TRANSFORMATION AND REGENERATION.

CHANGING PERCEPTIONS BY CHANGING PLACE. 22,000 NEW HOMES PLANNED BY 2026 INCLUDING TWO OF THE UK’S LARGEST URBAN EXTENSIONS.

CANAL SIDE HOUSING AT EAST WICHEL 20 CREATIVITY INVENTIVENESS WITH LASTING VISION

DIGITAL JOURNEYS EXHIBITION BY CREATE STUDIOS AT THE STEAM MUSEUM 22 SWINDON IS HOME TO ONE OF THE FINEST COLLECTIONS OF BRITISH MODERN ART OUTSIDE OF LONDON WITH AMBITIOUS PLANS FOR A NEW MUSEUM AND ART GALLERY TO DISPLAY IT.

HOWARDGRAYSON HODGKIN PERRY GRAYSON PERRY (Part of the Swindon Museum and Art GalleryGramophone Collection) Perfume Bottle © The Artist, courtesy Alan Cristea © The Artist, courtesy Victoria Miro

24 OPPORTUNITY

TIMELESS (created by artist David Bent) SWINDON RESIDENT

DAVID BENT IS THE FIRST ARTIST IN 30 YEARS TO BE AWARDED HONORARY COMPANIONSHIP OF THE ROYAL AERONAUTICAL SOCIETY. HIS ICONIC PAINTINGS, CREATED IN HIS OLD TOWN STUDIO BRING AVIATION, TECHNOLOGY AND ART TOGETHER TO A COMPLETELY NEW AUDIENCE.

26 SWINDON HAS A THRIVING ARTS AND CULTURAL SCENE INCLUDING A NATIONAL DANCE AGENCY, SWINDON DANCE, A RENOWNED FESTIVAL OF LITERATURE, CREATE STUDIOS, THE WYVERN THEATRE, PRIME THEATRE AND ARTS CENTRE. OPPORTUNITY

YOUTH DANCE ACADEMY - A NATIONAL CENTRE FOR ADVANCED TRAINING AT SWINDON DANCE 28 A GREAT PLACE TO WORK AND WORK INVEST IN, SWINDON HAS SOME OF THE LOWEST LAND PRICES AND COMMERCIAL RATES IN THE SOUTH ALONG WITH THE 5TH HIGHEST EMPLOYMENT RATE IN THE UK.

PLAZA 21 BUILDING, SWINDON TOWN CENTRE 30 IN THE TOP QUARTILE NATIONALLY FOR BANKING, INSURANCE AND PROFESSIONAL SERVICES.

THE UK’S 9TH LARGEST EMPLOYMENT CLUSTER IN HEALTH AND LIFE SCIENCES.

NATIONWIDE HEADQUARTERS 32 THE UK’S 7TH LARGEST AUTOMOTIVE MANUFACTURING AND ADVANCED ENGINEERING CLUSTER OF COMPANIES.

TOP QUARTILE NATIONALLY FOR CREATIVE AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES.

MINI PLANT SWINDON 34 THE UK’S 7TH MOST PRODUCTIVE ECONOMY WITH £58,514 GROSS VALUE ADDED (GVA) PER WORKER.

SWINDON HAS SEEN BUSINESS START-UPS INCREASE BY TWICE THE NATIONAL AVERAGE IN THE LAST DECADE.

DESK CO-WORKING SPACE, OLD TOWN 36 SET IN EXCEPTIONAL COUNTRYSIDE LIVE AND AREAS OF NATURAL BEAUTY.

ONE OF THE BEST HOUSE PRICES TO EARNINGS RATIOS IN THE UK.

38 A GREAT MIX OF SHOPPING FROM HIGH STREET NAMES IN THE TOWN CENTRE; BOUTIQUES AND SPECIALIST RETAILERS IN OLD TOWN; ALONG WITH ONE OF EUROPE’S MOST SUCCESSFUL DESIGNER OUTLET CENTRES.

OINK GALLERY, OLD TOWN 40 AN ABUNDANCE OF GREEN SPACE INCLUDING OLD TOWN GARDENS; QUEEN’S PARK; COATE WATER; MOULDEN HILL COUNTRY PARK AND LYDIARD PARK.

LYDIARD HOUSE & COUNTRY PARK 42 SWINDON IS AN ACTIVE COMMUNITY WITH HUNDREDS OF SPORTS CLUBS, A VARIETY OF LEISURE FACILITIES AND ONE OF THE MOST EXTENSIVE CYCLE NETWORKS IN THE UK.

SOUTHERN FLYER CYCLE ROUTE 44 COMMUNITY SUPPORTING, UNITING AND CONNECTING PEOPLE

OLD TOWN GARDENS 46 SWINDON’S MOST PRECIOUS AND INTANGIBLE ASSET IS ITS STRONG SENSE OF COMMUNITY.

SWINDON HAS A PROUD TRADITION OF SOCIAL INNOVATION. THE PROVISION OF WORKER FUNDED AND DESIGNED HEALTH CARE AT THE RAILWAY VILLAGE WAS THE FORERUNNER OF THE NHS.

48 OPPORTUNITIES ABOUND TO MAKE CONNECTIONS, CONTRIBUTE TO THE PLACE, SUPPORT PEOPLE AND, WHEN NEEDED, FEEL SUPPORTED.

THERE ARE OVER 440 REGISTERED CHARITIES IN SWINDON ALONG WITH MANY MORE COMMUNITY AND VOLUNTARY GROUPS.

50 GENERATING BORN FROM THE PIONEERING GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY, SWINDON IS ALWAYS IN MOTION, MOMENTUM ALWAYS GENERATING MOMENTUM.

52 SWINDON - A GREAT PLACE TO INVEST, LIVE, WORK AND THRIVE. 54 PHOTOGRAPHY: ELMAR RUBIO PHOTOGRAPHY - PAGES 4,6,14,22,30,32,34,36,38,40,46,48,50 GURCHETAN SINGH – PAGES 8,54 MARK PEPPERALL – PAGES 28,44 RICHARD WINTLE, CALYX PICTURE AGENCY – PAGE 10 GRAHAM CARTER, SWINDON HERITAGE MAGAZINE – PAGE 12 EDWARD WILSON PHOTOGRAPHY – PAGE 18

DESIGN: HOT PEPPER DESIGN TO FIND OUT MORE VISIT: switchontoswindon.com