The story of Thomas Richard Guppy who was a great friend of Isambard Kingdom Brunel and a fellow engineer who helped Brunel with the GWR, SS Great Western & SS Great Britain. The presentation gives the family history and the exploits of Thomas from birth in Bristol to his death in Italy. He has a link to Swindon as he owned land in Rodbourne and also sold land for the GWR Works to expand. Why not join us October 8th 2026 at 7:30 PM at the Bakers’ Café? Cost Swindon Heritage Preservation (SHP) Full Members – FREE Entry Guests – £5.00 Entry Membership Becoming a SHP Full Member gives you full FREE access to our series of talks, along with many other benefits. Full Membership only costs £12 per year! You can learn more about Membership here (https://mechanics-trust.org.uk/membership/) . Getting to Emlyn Square Bakers’ Café is at 16 Emlyn Square (SN1 5BN) at the heart of Swindon’s Railway Village. You can view the location on Google Maps here . It is easily accessible by train and bus , with the Central Bus Station just a short walk away. There are several car parks available around the Railway Village. We recommend Bristol Street Car Park for it’s proximity to Emlyn Square.

Description supplied by the event organiser.