This place was a great little find. Not much remains of Swindons once massive rail industry so it was great to find a bit of the vintage industry still lurking! The main shed had been used as a gokart track and is now a bit of a store for a building company working nearby. I belive the chain testing equipment will be preserved when the building is converted..
We only checked this place out as a time killer, we didnt think there would be much in there..!!
We only checked this place out as a time killer, we didnt think there would be much in there..!!
The Chain Testing House was built in 1873. The Testing house – or Shop 17 as it was known – tested iron, steel, copper and rope for use on the railways. At its peak in the 1950’s around 57 miles of chain and rope were being dealt with annually.