Swindon Steam Museum is a great place to visit not only for the Steam Museum itself but it’s alongside an excellent indoor shopping complex, has a huge car park and when we visited in midweek it was fairly quiet.  Also, if you do go into the Steam Museum then you get a voucher for free parking so that’s a bonus.

Now let me make a point here, I’m not a huge railway fan but I do appreciate the history around it and seeing how everything was built and of course the steam engines are truly magnificent.

The Steam Museum is dedicated to the Great Western Railway and is situated within the original GWR Swindon Railway Works factory, as is the shopping centre.  The whole area is exceptionally well laid out and there are lots of places to eat and relax.

The Steam Museum is very well signposted as you approach Swindon and is in Kemble Drive, SN2 2TA – the Satnav got us there with no problem.   The phone number is 01793 466637 and you can visit the web site by clicking here.

Here are some of the key things you will see when you visit;

• The introductory archive film with many stories from GWR workers

• The recreations of various parts of the railway works such as the moulding room and foundry and the carriage works

• You can get up very close to a huge steam engine and walk underneath it and this gives you the opportunity to realise just how magnificent it is

• There is a train driving simulator and an interactive signal box

• There’s also a platform with carriages and buffet

We meandered around the Steam Museum in a couple of hours but of course we could have spent much more time in there if we’d wanted to.  It certainly gives you a flavour for what life was like in the works and there is a great deal of information to look at and read so you can stay for as long as you need.

The balance of the Steam Museum alongside a shopping outlet works really well and there are lots of cafes to choose from so all tastes are catered for.  Go on, give it a go, you’ll really enjoy it.