'A' shop, British Rail Engineering Ltd, Swindon (1 of 4)
Introduction
The photograph on this page of 'A' shop, British Rail Engineering Ltd, Swindon (1 of 4) by Brian Robert Marshall as part of the Geograph project.
The Geograph project started in 2005 with the aim of publishing, organising and preserving representative images for every square kilometre of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
There are currently over 7.5m images from over 14,400 individuals and you can help contribute to the project by visiting https://www.geograph.org.uk
'A' shop, British Rail Engineering Ltd, Swindon (1 of 4)
Image: © Brian Robert Marshall Taken: Unknown
In 1986 BREL finally closed after 150 years. The site once was the main manufacturing facility for Brunel's GWR. 'A' shop was said to be the largest single factory building in Europe, a likelihood borne out by historic maps. The site was sold to developers and now comprises a mix of housing, shopping malls, leisure and commerce including the STEAM museum. http://www.steam-museum.org.uk/ 'A' shop was unable to be saved as it was deemed that its size, construction and configuration precluded it being able to be converted. The smaller building behind the engine boiler has been saved and is now a brewery. '34072' was a Battle of Britain' class loco named '257 Squadron'. It has subsequently been restored and is apparently now in the hands of the Swanage Railway. This image dates to 1987 shortly after demolition commenced and is submitted more for its historical value than its quality. Next image: http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/318214
Images are licensed for reuse under creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0
Image Location
Latitude
51.560117
Longitude
-1.80377