In 1853 the Swindon Railway Works was over the financial crisis and the recession had ended.

It was working above its capacity and Gooch was about to launch his own plans for New Swindon.

He understood that the GWR required more workers and needed to give them some benefits and perks, if it was to expand.

On September 1, 1853 he addressed the GWR Board with his prospectus for a New Swindon Improvement Company – NSIC.

This was quite radical for its day and it was a shock for the board as well as it wanted the board to invest in the New Town.

Gooch was a practical man and wanted practical facilities, such as an established market, education and culture. Thus his plans for a “new building for the mechanics” were ahead of his time.

Gooch was ahead of his time engineering-wise, but this was quite a step for him and showed great foresight.

It would contain a covered market to add to the current shops in the village and provide variety and competition.

Minard Rea, the new works manager, would oversee the project and Gooch had the board raise the £3,000 it needed to begin the work by selling shares in the NSIC.

Gooch finally got the board to agree to lease the NSIC the land it stands on at the square known as High Street at an annual rental of five shillings (25p).

Furthermore, he got the GWR Board to make a contribution of £100 for communal facilities, such as a library, baths, and a reading room.

Gooch was also shrewd, he placed this monolith of a building in a prominent position in the heart of the village, to send a strong clear message– what is good for the GWR is good for Swindon.

It would dominate the skyline and their lives, they would be in its shadow and gratefully use its facilities.

What a benefit, what a perk... Gooch knew how to impress the people with this symbol of GWR greatness and, for some in Swindon, the Mechanics Institute still does that today.

He must have known at the time that it would enter Swindon folklore and become part of the psyche of Swindon.

In May 1854, the Swindon Advertiser, which was in its first year of publication, reported that Lord Methuen, Daniel Gooch, Minard Rea and the architect Edward Roberts, of London, were there to lay the foundation stone, along with 10,000 onlookers. Its perpendicular Gothic Style was a departure for the GWR but it’s believed Gooch wanted it to look robust as befitted the GWR.

Swindon stone and Bath stone were used extensively in the construction, along with iron and steel.

It is strange that bricks were not used more in the building as in 1850 the brick tax had been removed.

This still inhibited the use of bricks until the early 1860s. Their use in building in New Swindon was a luxury until then.