David Thackray on the Mechanics

 We were really pleased to welcome David Thackray, Chair of The Mechanics' Institution Trust to give our August talk on the updates about the Mechanics building, situated in the centre of the Railway Village, now designated a Heritage Action Zone. I took some notes during the talk and also photographed many of the slides, so will include a mixture of both of them. Firstly, the point was made that the positioning of the Mechanics in the centre of the village has symbolic and aesthetic value. Like the nearby church, the northern facade of the Mechanics was designed by Edward Roberts so it could be seen from the railway, at that time it was a theatre, reading room and a library. The history of the building dating back to the very beginning is presented in such detail that I'll refer you to the website for that.  Finding a way of restoring the Mechanics Institute would be a very positive step for Swindon, reasons why this should happen can be found under the Myths section of the website which gives a wonderful amount of detail.

I have added some of the slides David used in his presentation, but to read them, I have made them extra large which probably means they will spill over into the right hand side. I hope they can still be read.

Artist Tim Carroll produced these watercolours of the railway Village a number of years ago:

And last, but by no means least, please consider joining the Mechanics Institute Trust:

Finally, David showed us some of the plasterwork still in evidence. photos courtesy of English Heritage National Monuments Record.

Food for thought from the talk, it's a tremendous responsibility to restore the building and bring it into use again. 

The History, Art and Architecture of St.Mark's Church, Swindon New Town 1843-1995

Michael Gray gave our February talk to a packed Zoom audience on St.Mark's Church, located in the Railway Village, and built a little after the village. Michael recently reviewed the listings for Historic England when the whole Railway Village became a Heritage Action Zone in 2019; he gave us the talk he gives on Heritage Open Days, and I hope we can have a tour round it before long as a Friends' trip.

The railway came to Swindon in 1841, at that time, Brunel sketched plans for the village, not the church. The main church in Swindon at this time was Holy Rood in Lawn, it was very small and with 1800 staff employed in the works, the need for another church was appreciated by the Goddard and Villet families who each paid £500 for the church, probably half a million today. The bulk of the funding came from Lambeth Palace, £5-6,000 was allocated to build a church, vicarage and church school.

Michael started his talk with this lovely photograph of light pouring through a window from the south, the effect is of sunlight passing through incense burnt in all services. The resurgence of all things Catholic, with ritualist ideas dating back to 1830 was called the Oxford movement and dates back to 1830, arriving in Swindon in 1840, it didn't take hold then, but Canon JMG Ponsonby who was vicar from 1879-1903 was keen on the Oxford movement.

George Gilbert Scott tendered for the job , submitting the watercolour below which won him the commission. His most famous other commissions include St Pancras station and the Albert memorial tower.

In the graveyard, there are 5 large memorials, including 2 listed ones. The one above as you can see is to Joseph Armstrong who was an engineer and driver, 6000 attended his funeral.

Many people who worked in the railway works had come from other regions of the UK, they tended to build their own churches because they didn't want to worship in Anglican churches which is why we have so many chapels in Swindon.

The photograph above shows a hammerbeam roof and scissor trusses to give height and space; the church lifts the worshipper up , as though revisiting paradise.

You can see above the detailing on the stone work

The stained glass in the church is beautiful, the window below is the one behind the altar. Jesus in depicted in the centre of the window, set in a sunburst with 4 apostles around him, and the hand of God above him. It was designed by Martin Travers who died in 1949

The two windows below were made at different times, the one on the left in 1888, depicts the returning prodigal son, and jealous brother depicted as Henry VIII. The one on the right, the Baptistry window was commissioned to mark 150 years of St Marks and the other 3 Anglican churches, St.Saviours, St Lukes and St.Aldems

Below is a magnified bit of the window on the left.

Two more windows, the one on the left tells the story of Isiah and Jeremiah, commissioned in 1894 as a tribute to a dead wife. The window on the right was made in 2012 in memory of Rex Hurrell, commemorating Saint Sithney, patron saint of mad dogs

You can find what Sir John Betjeman thought about St.Mark's by listening to this BBC archive material from March 1949.  However to listen, you have to log in to Discogs, something I was not able to do just now. And also watch the talk by clicking here. 

What a fascinating tour around St.Mark's, thank you very much Michael.