Brick Boundary Wall To Former Gwr Works (West)

SU18SW 1097/1/10020 22-AUG-00

REDCLIFFE STREET Swindon Brick boundary wall to former GWR works (west)

GV II

Boundary wall. Constructed between 1880-90 by the Great Western Railway. Continuous straight red brick wall constructed in alternate courses of headers and stretchers approximately 250m long running SW-NE parallel to the rear of the gardens on the south side of Redcliffe Street. At its eastern end by Rodbourne Road it is 5m high supported by tall brick buttresses at 5m intervals on the south side. After 200m the height drops to 3m. History: Built as the northern boundary of the expansion of the GWR Works to the west of Rodbourne Road. The land was first purchased to provide the miles of extra sidings needed for redundant rolling stock ahead of the scrapping of the broad gauge in 1892. The 'Hawksworth Plans' show that this wall was constructed between 1880 and 1890, probably very shortly before 1890. References: J Cattell and K Falconer, The Legacy of a Railway Town, RCHME, HMSO, London Hawksworth Plans of GWR Works, Records Office, Railtrack plc, Swindon.

Listing NGR: SU1391184782