Rodbourne Community History Group

It’s amazing what you can find hiding in ladies lingerie. Today was spent in the company of Rodbourne Community History Group. As part of the GWR 175 celebrations they were running tours of the Swindon Designer Outlet and surrounding Even Swindon area. Unfortunately this had received very little publicity with only a handful of people on each tour and most of them seemingly already known to the guides. Despite the small numbers, the guides — and occasional heckling from passers-by and unrestrained dogs — the guides did an excellent job of describing the past of Even Swindon and the railway works and their recollections and reminiscences of them. And the connection with ladies lingerie? Well, the three giant steam cylinders that powered the GWR works hooters that commanded the workers to and from work are now hidden almost out of sight behind the lingerie department of Marks & Spencer in Swindon Designer Outlet.