Council leader hopes return of Swindon Croc will give town centre a boost
The Museum & Art Swindon has been in Euclid Street since 2024
The leader of Swindon Borough Council is hoping the makeover of the Museum & Art Swindon will help attract more people into the town centre.
The space above the council's civic offices has been refurbished to feature new exhibitions and is the new home of the Swindon Croc.
He is positive that the return of the gharial will contribute to the Heart of Swindon plan.
Councillor Jim Robbins told Greatest Hits Radio: “It’s a brilliant opportunity for people to come and see the new space, see what’s going on at the Swindon Museum & Art Gallery, see all the exhibits we’ve got in Swindon’s heart and the brilliant art collection.
“And that’s always what we’re looking to do. We want to make the town centre as attractive as possible.”
The council’s Heart of Swindon plan aims to regenerate the town centre through new developments.
For this, the authority has been looking to attract investors over the last months, including at a reception at the House of Lords in March.
It received its first investment - £100,000 from Home England – in April which will be used on design work for the redevelopment of the area around the town’s railway station, known as Knowledge Central.
“We’ve had lots and lots of meetings. We had a brilliant time up in Leeds at UKReiiF which is the biggest real estate and investment forum in the country. So, lots of conversations going on, some really exciting design work happening and I can’t wait to share it with people”, added Cllr Robbins.
“So, there’s a lot of hard work going on behind the scenes to make the town centre a more attractive offering for people and it’s great to have the Museum & Art Gallery supporting that.”
The gharial, whose species lives on the northern Indian subcontinent, has been in the possession of Swindon Borough Council since 1931.
It has been absent since its former home, the old Museum and Art Gallery in Apsley House in Old Town, closed down five years ago.
In the meantime, it had its teeth, eyeballs and toenails replaced which were damaged by people touching it and, according to the museum’s manager Frances Yeo, taking the teeth home as souvenirs.
The Swindon Croc now is in a glass case which is set to protect it from further damage.
The exhibition also features information on endangered and extinct animals and the role humans play in the disappearance of animal species, like the gharial which is listed as critically endangered.