Town centre heritage projects awarded almost £700,000 in additional funding

As part of the Heritage Action Zone (HAZ), the funding will support the repair and restoration of the Health Hydro and the Carriage Works as well as improvements across the Railway Village.

The funding includes:

• £400,000 for the Health Hydro to undertake urgent roof repairs and repairs to sections of the façade, including stonework and windows. The work builds on the Council’s planned £6.5m restoration and development of the pioneering Victorian health facility.
• £100,000 to fund masonry and window repairs to the London Road side of Units 3 and 5 of the Carriage Works. This work follows the successful completion of similar repairs to Units 7, 9 and 11, also funded by a Historic England grant, in March 2023.
• £185,000 will be invested through a Partnership Scheme in Conservation Areas (PSiCA) to support a range of improvements to the Swindon Railway Conservation Area. This will include new signage to tell the fantastic stories of the area and help people find their way around.

All three projects are key elements of the Swindon HAZ, a £7.6m investment by the Council and Historic England to breathe new life into the Railway Village.

Councillor Marina Strinkovsky, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Heritage, Art and Culture, said: “I’m very pleased we’ve received additional funding for these important heritage projects.

“While we’ve already done a lot of work to make sure our heritage is preserved for future generations to enjoy, we still have a long way to go.

“If anyone is interested in finding out more about the current state and future of our heritage sites, I’d like to invite them to attend our Swindon heritage event at the UTC on Monday, 27 November at 6pm.

“We’ll be discussing all things Swindon heritage and asking residents to share their views on what they want to see happen so it informs a new Swindon Heritage Action Plan for the Borough.”

Rebecca Barrett, South West Regional Director at Historic England, said: “We’re really proud to be working in partnership with Swindon Borough Council on the Railway Village Heritage Action Zone.

“It’s a place that’s rich in history, and we’re delighted that our investment will help repair two key buildings – the Health Hydro and the Carriageworks - supporting their continued revitalisation.”

Andrea Christmas of the Friends of the Swindon Health Hydro, said: “The Friends of Swindon Health Hydro are delighted that Historic England has awarded £400,000 towards the renovation of the Health Hydro.

“The funds will be used to provide some much-needed improvements to the frontage of this important building which has served the health and well-being needs of the communities of Swindon for 130 years, and by supporting the renovation Historic England will be helping to ensure that it can serve the people of Swindon for many more years to come.”