We believe that Swindon is a place with a rich and fascinating heritage and an enviable wealth of art and culture. We opened Museum and Art Swindon, giving our superlative art collection a home after the Tories led by Cllr Heenan closed the much-loved museum at Apsley House. MAS also offers a permanent display showcasing the history of Swindon from the Jurassic age right to the present day for the first time.
We forged ahead with the refurbishment of the Health Hydro, also stalled under the previous administration, and despite the many challenges one can expect from such a large heritage building are expecting to see the pool and gym reopen to the public early in 2026.
The Heritage Action Zone in the Railway Village delivered tangible improvements to the area and made it much more welcoming and accessible. We also used it to strengthen our relationship with stakeholders like Historic England and National Trust, which in turn increased our ability to attract funding for other projects. Expect news about Swindon’s nationally famous bench soon!
The culture and art sector in Swindon was already strong, but it is now connected and thriving with our leadership and investment. We recently got £600,000 from the Arts Council to help develop the sector further so that all the art, music, dance and theatre we have in Swindon is better marketed and more widely known.
Jan Update – We have appointed new Officers to drive this forward and we are making progress! Lydiard Park Academy are working on a scheme with us to utilise Lydiard House, and we are keen to see Swindon as having the only state school students studying in a Grade 1 listed building! We are expecting work to start soon on Apsley House and are confident that there will be news soon on the Locarno.