Swindon, England, United Kingdom — Northwestern Europe (the British Isles)

Swindon Station

Rest stop

Photographed by Ray Gurganus, May 24, 2026

1. Swindon Station Marker

Inscription. The older part of this railway station opened in 1842. Swindon was the only stop on the four-hour London to Bristol journey. Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the GWR's Chief Engineer, specified a large, ornate refreshment room for first class passengers as well as a second class room.

The refreshment rooms quickly gained a reputation for poor quality food and high prices - Brunel described the coffee as tasting like 'burned corn'. By the time the GWR had paid a princely sum to buy out the caterer from its 99-year lease, Swindon and its refreshment rooms had become the butt of music hall jokes.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical year for this entry is 1842.

Location. 51° 33.934′ N, 1° 47.109′ W. Marker is in Swindon, England. It is on Station Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 69 Station Road, Swindon, England SN1 1DH, United Kingdom. Touch for directions.

Regionally, it is on the Atlantic Ocean,

in the North Atlantic Region,

in Europe,

in Atlantic Europe,

on one of the British Isles,

in the Western World,

and in the

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Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Roman Empire.

Other nearby markers. At least 7 other markers are within 23 kilometers of this marker, measured as the crow flies: College Street School (approx. 0.4 kilometers away); Isambard Kingdom Brunel (approx. 0.6 kilometers away); The Railway Church (approx. 0.8 kilometers away); GWR Park (approx. 0.8 kilometers away); Silbury Hill (approx. 17.4 kilometers away); Welcome to the Avebury World Heritage Site (approx. 17.5 kilometers away); Ram Inn (approx. 21.1 kilometers away).

G.W.R. Swindon Station image. Click for full size.

Photographed by John Valentine & Sons, Co., circa 1908

2. G.W.R. Swindon Station

Credits. This page was last revised on October 13, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 11, 2026, by Ray Gurganus of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 4 times since then. Photos: 1. submitted on October 11, 2026, by Ray Gurganus of Washington, District of Columbia. 2. submitted on October 13, 2026. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.

Editor’s want-list for this marker. photo of the marker within its surroundings • Can you help?