THE acclaimed architecture of Swindon's Railway Village features in a pioneering collection of online photographs celebrating English working life.
English Heritage has launched ViewFinder a site bringing more than 20,000 hitherto unseen images to the information highway.
And Sir Neil Cossons, English Heritage Chairman and former curator of the old Great Western Railway museum in Faringdon Road, is especially pleased that Swindon features on the website.
He said: "Swindon has changed so much, mostly for the better, since I was last working here 40 years ago. It is great that a vibrant slice of the town can now be seen by people across the world."
Speaking at the opening celebrations, held at Steam, Sir Neil stressed that this collection was part of an ongoing project.
He added: "The English Heritage offices in Swindon hold an archive of 10 million photographs. This is the first stage of bringing these important historical documents to people, wherever they may be."
Featuring two elements, View-Finder includes images of England over the past 300 years and photographs from the Henry W Taunt Collection, revealing traditions in Oxfordshire between 1860 and 1922.
The £170,000 project was financed by the National Lottery's New Opportunities Fund.
ViewFinder project manager Andrew Sargent said: "Even when people are not in Swindon, they will be able to access this wonderful collection. Some of the material was held in Oxford so this exciting project is uniting material and making it available to everyone."
The England at Work archive contains images ranging from the Northampton boot and shoe industry to the building of concrete ships during WW1.
An insight into Coopers Oxford Marmalade Factory and The Trout Inn at Godstow are among the images in the Henry W Taunt Collection.
Nigel Clubb, director of the National Monuments Record the nation's visual archive which is looked after by English Heritage is equally pleased with the website.
He said: "I think it is brilliant. Hopefully the project will put Swindon on the cultural map and improve our chances of becoming a city."
Coun Mike Bawden (Con, Old Town & Lawns) also attended the launch. He said: "This is a terrific idea.
"It enables the public, especially the young, to enrich their understanding of our history. I cannot wait to view the site in detail."
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