Special Exhibition: The Doctor Will See You Now

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This year, STEAM is celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the opening of the Great Western Railway Hospital on Faringdon Road, Swindon with two new special exhibitions. The Doctor Will See You Now explores the 'cradle to grave' healthcare service introduced by the GWR's Medical Fund Society.

By the 1940s, the GWR Medical Fund was one of the oldest and most successful medical aid societies across the country, encompassing the swimming baths, a dentist, an optician, a chiropodist, and even a massage therapist. The hospital had capacity for forty-two beds, with a new X-ray department and blood donor service. The Doctor Will See You Now also examines how the GWR Medical Fund may have been a blueprint for the modern-day NHS.

The GWR also set up many other societies and clubs for the health, education and wellbeing of their employees. When the Swindon Railway Works opened in 1843 Swindon was a small market town.

A second new exhibition entitled Work, Rest and Play – Life Outside Swindon Works explores how the GWR supported the town's growth through the construction of new facilities such as the Railway Village, Mechanics' Institute and Bristol Street School.

Book your tickets online in advance: www.steam-museum.org.uk