The Carriage Works is changing.

What was once a place of steel, steam and relentless industry is now becoming one of Swindon’s most creative and forward-looking neighbourhoods. The historic workshops that powered the Great Western Railway are filling up again, this time with filmmakers, researchers, designers, technologists and educators. The tools are different, but the purpose feels familiar, a place where people make things, solve problems and bring ideas to life.

This isn’t nostalgia. It is progress built on strong foundations.

The Carriage Works is now a home for businesses and organisations that want to think, do and be, and do it together. It offers flexible workspace, shared resources and a community that understands the value of practical creativity. The people here are optimistic, rooted in Swindon’s character, and confident about where the town is heading.

A Place Made for People Who Get Things Done

The site has always been shaped by human endeavour. In the 1800s, thousands of GWR workers built locomotives that connected cities, industries and communities. Today, the same spirit drives a new generation of makers and thinkers.

The Carriage Works is designed for businesses that want to grow, collaborate and find momentum. Startups, educators, tech specialists, designers and researchers all work side by side. They share ideas, opportunities and the energy that comes from being part of something larger than a single office or studio.

This is a place where innovation feels accessible and progress feels possible.

A Growing Ecosystem of Creativity, Technology and Education

The transformation of the Carriage Works is not theoretical. It is happening right now, in real buildings, with real people, doing work that matters.

Workshed

The incubator at the heart of the site has become one of Swindon’s most active creative and digital hubs. Small companies grow here, tech specialists settle in, and freelancers find a place where they are part of a community rather than working alone. The mix of offices, studios, coworking and events creates the sense of a shared mission, not merely a shared address.

iCAST

The Innovation Centre for Applied Sustainable Technologies, supported by the Universities of Bath and Oxford, is bringing world-class research into Carriage Works. Scientists, entrepreneurs and industry specialists work together on sustainable materials and future-facing technologies. It is a rare combination, a research centre with a real connection to business and commercialisation.

Create Studios

Swindon’s award-winning digital storytelling and film production team now operates from a state-of-the-art home within the site. For more than 30 years they have supported young people and produced films that carry Swindon’s voice to national audiences. At Carriage Works, they continue to train, mentor and inspire the next generation of creatives.

Together these organisations form a cluster that feels distinctly modern, part technical, part cultural, and entirely collaborative.

Heritage That Still Shapes How the Place Works Today

The Carriage Works has never needed to pretend to be something it is not. The site’s character, from brickwork and steel to scale and volume, gives it an authenticity that modern developments often struggle to recreate. The heritage matters because it reflects a history of ambition and collective effort.

That story extends beyond the workshops. GWR workers funded the nearby Health Hydro, a pioneering investment in community wellbeing. This legacy of learning, self-improvement and shared progress sits at the heart of the Carriage Works identity.

A new heritage trail across the Railway Village will reconnect visitors with this history, linking the achievements of Swindon’s past to the creative and technological work shaping its future.

Local Roots, Wider Reach

Swindon is positioned between Bristol, Oxford, Reading and London, giving organisations here access to regional and national networks. The Carriage Works strengthens this reach by offering spaces and partnerships that link education, industry and research.

It hosts events that bring people together, from founders and freelancers to academics and civic leaders. It encourages collaboration, sparks new ideas and supports the kind of practical innovation the region needs.

This is a place grounded in Swindon’s heritage and character, but outward-looking and globally relevant.

Looking Ahead

Swindon Borough Council is preparing the next phase of the Carriage Works regeneration. What comes next continues the same story, heritage used as a platform for tomorrow. The new identity expresses what the site already feels like, strong, industrial, confident, human and full of energy.

Carriage Works is not only part of Swindon’s past. It is an essential part of its future.
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For more information, please contact the Carriage Works team.

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