Swindon's Steam Museum received a visit from a very special guest on the 7th of December – His Royal Highness The Duke of Kent who received a warm welcome from His Majesty's Lord-Lieutenant of Wiltshire, Sarah Troughton, Swindon Mayor, Councillor Abdul Amin, and Mayoress, Mrs Subena Akhtar. Swindon Borough Council Leader, Councillor David Renard, Councillor Matty Courtliff, Cabinet Member for Culture, Heritage, Leisure, and Town Centre Experience, and Swindon Museums Manager, Frances Yeo were also in attendance.
Councillor Matty Courtliff, Swindon Borough Council's Cabinet Member for Culture, Heritage, Leisure, and Town Centre Experience, said: “We were delighted to welcome the Duke of Kent to STEAM.
“It was fitting that after arriving at the museum, The Duke signed a Swindon Works clocking-in card, as was done by the then Prince of Wales at the opening of Swindon's millennium project 22 years ago.”
The amazing STEAM museum is fittingly housed in a restored Grade II listed railway building and is owned by Swindon Borough Council.
The popular museum sees visitors enjoy a journey into the very heart of the Great Western Railway in Swindon. The museum's exhibition areas remember the men and women who built, used and operated the Great Western Railway under the eye of renowned Victorian engineer
The Duke of Kent enjoyed viewing the impressive Swindon-built engines and even got onto the footplate of Great Western Railway Locomotive No. 6000 King George V. Former Great Western Railway locomotive fireman and STEAM Tour Guide Geoff Davies gave a fantastic account of the engine's amazing voyage of over 3,500 miles to America in order to take part in the centenary celebrations for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in 1927.
His Royal Highness also saw objects dating back to a Royal Visit by Their Majesties King George V and Queen Mary to Swindon Works in 1924. The Duke was very keen to hear how his grandfather, King George V drove the GWR Locomotive No. 4082 Windsor Castle from Swindon Works to the Railway Station, with Queen Mary joining him on the footplate.
The Duke was also shown the museum's latest special exhibition programme for 2022 which reveals the story of changes to train travel over the Great Western Railway network.
STEAM's volunteers and Friends of Swindon Railway Museum also got a chance to meet The Duke of Kent and discuss their contributions to support the museum.
Swindon Museums Manager, Frances Yeo, said: “It has been an honour to welcome His Royal Highness The Duke of Kent to STEAM. The close connection between the GWR and the Royal Family began in 1842 when Queen Victoria became the first reigning monarch to undertake a railway journey by travelling on the GWR train from London Paddington to Windsor.
“We have thoroughly enjoyed giving The Duke of Kent a tour of the museum and presenting the GWR's fascinating history, including the immense impact that the railways had on Swindon.”
The tour ended as The Duke of Kent stepped inside Queen Victoria's Royal Saloon and met with two groups of schoolchildren who were also visiting the museum.
For further details about STEAM please visit: www.steam-museum.org.uk
