Page 24 - link magazine

Swindon Wide

Tickets on sale for world premiere of
Railway Town, the story of New Swindon

A full length film plotting how the
Great Western Railway Company Town’s oldest
turned the sleepy market town
of Swindon into an industrial community event
powerhouse to lay the foundation takes place in July
for success in the 21st Century, will
be screened at the Wyvern Theatre. Swindon’s traditional Children’s
Carefully researched and Fete on Saturday 9 July in GWR
professionally produced by film Park, Faringdon Road is on track to
maker Martin Parry, Railway Town celebrate 150 years since it started.
brings together previously unseen The fete ran continously from
archive film and photographs, as 1866 until the outbreak of war
well as key insights from astute Martin Parry, editing his film Railway Town in1939 and was resurrected in 2003
historians. by the Mechanics’ Institution Trust
The film charts the remarkable “I started to document the railway followed by a panel discussion on which has managed to run the event
story of Swindon from its ‘wild west’ heritage by interviewing scores Swindon’s past and future. several times since.
beginnings, through problems and of factory workers, filming inside Tickets at £7 (+£1.50 booking To find out more and offer
triumphs, and then conveys the the works and collecting archive fee) are available from the Wyvern sponsorship, contact Hannah Parry:
mood when the great GWR factory material.” www.swindontheatres.co.uk thechildrensfete@mechanics-trust.
(by then British Rail) closed in Martin’s work came together in View the Railway Town trailer at org.uk or call 01793 520592.
March 1986. Fire & Steel, a highly regarded DVD www.swindonviewpoint.com www.mechanics-trust.org.uk
Martin, who came to the town in telling the story of life ‘inside’ the • Martin, although hailing from
early 1980 as a British FiIm Institute works. But the seeds for a much Herefordshire, came to Swindon
funded film-maker in residence, said more comprehensive account of from Canada’s National Film Board.
he conceived the idea of Railway Swindon’s history had been sown. After the BFI funding ended,
Town soon after he arrived. “Even He said: “I wanted to show how Thamesdown Council appointed
though Swindon had moved a long much the Swindon of today is him as media arts officer where he
way from railways in the post-war underpinned by its history and how set up Thamesdown Media Arts,
period, the legacy of the works was this frames the future, through later renamed Create Studios,
deeply embedded in the town, yet archive and new material.” and continued a leading role with
there was a sense that closure was The screening on Monday 25 April, pioneering community TV station
on the cards. 7pm, at the Wyvern Theatre, will be Swindon Viewpoint. The crowds in GWR Park, c1890

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24 swindonlink.com n April 2016