Councils should have the right to seize neglected historic buildings from private owners
The Mechanics Institute's presence on the English Heritage 'at risk' list is merely the latest indignity suffered by the historic structure
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Owners of the Mechanics Institute should be ashamed of themselves
The Mechanics Institute has the look of a haunted house. There are some who claim that places are haunted not by the spirits of the dead but rather echoes of the emotions and events experienced within their walls. If that fanciful supposition were true, it would not be much more fanciful to imagine the fabric of the building suffused with the pride, determination, dignity and ambition of the generations who used this structure in the heart of the Railway Village as a place of learning, of entertainment and of celebration. One can only wonder whether those people could have imagined the state it would fall into.
By Barrie Hudson
The Grade II* Listed Mechanics Institute is among several historic sites in and around Swindon considered at risk, according to new figures.
It is among over 100 buildings and sites across the country added to Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register for 2023, which “…gives an annual snapshot of the health of England’s valued historic buildings and places.”
The public body says the programme shines a light on historic sites most in need and has brought local people together in caring for and enjoying their heritage.
Other sites listed in and around Swindon are mainly ancient ones such as barrows and circles. They served mysterious functions for the mysterious civilisations which lived and prospered millennia ago, and are often at risk from agricultural practices needed to feed a country whose population is now greater than that of the whole world then.
A place on the register is also given to the remains of Holy Rood Church in the Lawns, apparently thanks largely to its being extensively damaged by vandals.
Interestingly, the Locarno is not mentioned on the register. Perhaps this indicates that Historic England’s register does not cover that Old Town building for some reason. Or perhaps it is on some little-known Historic England register of twice burned out shells open to the sky and left that way for years on end.
However, the Mechanics Institute is not only listed on the register but categorised as being at immediate risk of further rapid deterioration or loss of fabric.
The building is often used by those who know no better - or else who have a political axe of one variety or another to grind - as a stick with which to beat Swindon Borough Council. Doing so is completely unwarranted, as the council has never owned the building. Neither, for that matter, did the old Thamesdown Borough Council which the current council replaced in 1997 or the even older council which Thamesdown took over from in 1974.
Last used in 1986, the nearest the building has come to being in public ownership was when it was the property of British Rail, which allowed it to fall into disgraceful decay before selling it to the private sector - since when it has fallen not merely into decay but into ruin.
Swindon Borough Councils of various political stripes have made commendable efforts over the years to rescue it, including spending huge sums of public money to prevent it from simply collapsing. Some years ago, for example, extensive emergency work was needed to prevent all or part of the roof from collapsing.
Earlier this year, the current council announced a what it termed a roadmap of revival, including:
Securing a viable and sustainable new use for the building
Identifying how to fund the building
Addressing the ownership of the building
Cllr Marina Strinkovsky, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Heritage, Art and Culture, said: “The Mechanics building has played a huge role in the history of Swindon and it's a crying shame it has been empty and disused for so long. It’s time we took the necessary steps to secure a future for it back at the heart of the community.
“While the building's restoration is undoubtedly a huge task, this new roadmap clearly sets out what we need to do in order to bring it into use.
“I look forward to taking on this challenge and to finally seeing the Mechanics and the Railway Village alive and thriving anew.”
The plan drew a positive reaction from Bob Wright, chairman of the Swindon Heritage Preservation Trust, who said: “We believe the cabinet paper proposals are the best chance that Swindon has had to deliver a restored Mechanics since the formation of the Trust.
“This paper is the culmination of all the work given by many to achieve a restored Mechanics Institution.”
Anybody with a shred of concern for or interest in the past, present and future of the town can feel nothing but hope that the project will succeed.
However, the fact that the building was allowed by its owners to fall into such a state in the first place is a fathomless disgrace. The public has the right to demand that organisations which purchase historic buildings, presumably with the intention of somehow making a profit from them, should be obliged to ensure those historic buildings remain in at least a fit and proper state to be passed down to future generations.
Anybody and everybody in a position to prevent the Mechanics Institute from decaying, but who clearly failed to do so, should feel ashamed. If they lacked the will, the inclination or the financial wherewithal to prevent this horrible state of affairs from coming to pass, they should have admitted as much and offered to hand over the building at no charge to any person or organisation - public or private - better able to take care of it.
There is a strong argument to be made for the law around our heritage to be changed in order to prevent such outrages from happening in the future.
If those who take on parts of our history and heritage allow decay and destruction, the precious places and things should be taken out of their hands - and if the owners can be made to repay any public expense used in countering the effects of their actions, so much the better.
The Ink News Briefing
Police show support for Swindon's Broadgreen community - A multi-agency approach to tackling organised crime in Broadgreen has been formally launched. Over the past few months, the police have been working closely with the community in Broadgreen and partner agencies under the working title Clear Hold Build. Read More
Red Oaks pupils praised by Ofsted - Red Oaks Primary School pupils and staff are celebrating the school maintaining its Good rating after a recent Ofsted inspection. The Swindon primary school continues to be recognised for its commitment to excellence and is a consistently trusted choice for families with the inspector noting that “...pupils are excelling in all aspects of their education” and praising the school's “...coherent and well-sequenced curriculum”. Read More
Arts Centre date for Paul Foot - Chortle Awards 2024 Best Show nominee Paul Foot, above, will be bringing his 'Dissolve' show to Swindon’s Arts Centre on 20 October. Audiences are promised that In this show Paul breaks new ground as a comedian and as a person. Read More
Luxury Wiltshire hotel wins Gold in South West Tourism Excellence Awards - Bowood Hotel, Spa and Golf Resort, which sits at the heart of the 2,000-acre Bowood Estate, won Gold in the ‘Spa and Wellbeing Experience of the Year’ category at the finals ceremony in the Great Hall of Exeter University. Read More
Culture Vulture
A new museum and art Gallery is finally coming!
Swindon Borough Council held a special event to highlight progress on the new home for the town’s excellent and nationally-respected collection of art and artefacts
By Barrie Hudson
Swindon Borough Council says completion of the new home for the town's art and historic artefacts collection is set for later this Spring.
An update on progress was given during a special gathering at the Civic Offices location of what is now called Museum and Art Swindon.
Those invited included representatives from local arts and culture groups, Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire Mrs Sarah Rose Troughton, Swindon Borough Council Leader Cllr Jim Robbins and Cllr Marina Strinkovsky, the council’s Cabinet Member for Arts, Culture and Heritage.
The Lord Lieutenant, in her speech, spoke of her happiness that the collection - the 20th Century British art collection alone is generally regarded as the finest outside London - would be available to the public once more.
The museum has moved from Apsley House in Old Town to the Civic Offices in order to make the collection of artworks and artefacts alike more accessible to more people. At the time of the closure of Apsley House - or rather, the decision not to reopen it following lockdown - there was an extensive outcry and a series of very public protests. Some opponents feared that the closure spelled at best a years-long period in storage for the collection, and at worst the end of museum and gallery provision worthy of the name.
However, the new location at the Civic Offices has quelled most if not all of these misgivings.
The new name for the new location, Museum and Art Swindon, comes as the council enters what it terms a new phase of showcasing the Borough’s artworks and artefacts.
When complete, the Civic Offices location will provide around 40 percent more display space compared to its previous home at Apsley House, and those who visited for the work-in-progress event were impressed by the brightness and accessibility of the new location.
The venue will also provide improved working conditions and additional areas for staff, volunteers and researchers, presenting an opportunity to restart the museum and art gallery’s volunteer programme.
A space will be developed as a schools learning and lunchroom, which will also be used to host museum events, especially those aimed at families and focusing on the museum and art gallery’s extensive collections.
Along with the behind-the-scenes event, the new website for Museum and Art Swindon was launched.
The new online presence will give more detail about the museum and its collections as well as opening times and updates for the museum itself.
Those also wishing to stay up to date with the progress of the museum and, when it is open, any upcoming events and updates, can subscribe to the dedicated Museum and Art Swindon newsletter.
Cllr Strinkovsky said: “It’s hugely exciting to see the new museum and gallery so close to completion.
“It’s been a long and difficult road to get to this position but I’d like to thank the project team for their hard work in getting all the complex building work complete and in a position where we can now begin the fit-out of this new home for brilliant collections.
“When it’s open, I hope everyone gets the chance to see the new space and explore Swindon’s amazing history. From the dinosaurs all the way up to the railways, there’s something that I’m sure will interest everyone.”
Lord-Lieutenant of Wiltshire Mrs Sarah Rose Troughton said: “I am absolutely delighted to see Swindon’s legendary collection of Modern British Art in the Council building, will be open to all.
“Sir Kenneth Clark, when chairman of the Arts Council, said ‘they take art seriously in Swindon’, and indeed they do.”
Linda Kasmaty, Chair of the Friends of Museum and Art Swindon, said: “It’s just fabulous to be here looking around the first floor of the Civic Offices.
“What we’ve got now looks fantastic. The team are very dedicated, they’re all obviously very enthusiastic and that’s amazing to have.
“It’s very beautiful, it ticks every box and it’s a great way to repurpose the building.
“It’s something to be proud of. People need museums and galleries to visit. Swindonians will be thrilled and the town can be very proud of it. It’ll be a destination for art lovers across the country.”
In answer to a question on many people’s lips, the museum team issued an assurance that there would be a special place for Swindon’s favourite reptile, the stuffed gharial which was a favourite feature of the old museum for generations of children.
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I'm sure that the council bought the Mechanics' Institute several years ago under a compulsory purchase order and then sold it on for a paltry sum to someone who had plans - but their plans were refused and it went back into decay! Who owns it now and how many times have plans been refused to turn it into something worthwhile?