THE son of the first person to visit Steam looked back on the moment his mum accidentally earned a place in history.

Ivy Hemmings went through the museum’s doors two decades ago and saw all that it had to offer before anyone else.

Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have flocked to what has become one of Swindon’s biggest attractions for tourists and townspeople alike.

Her son David stumbled upon the £1.50 senior admissions ticket she bought on that day 20 years ago and an Adver front page celebrating the momentous occasion while he was looking through boxes of her old belongings.

He’s not quite sure how she managed to get to the front of the queue on June 14, 2000. He recalls the 63-year-old of Old Walcot saying she was going to have a look round the museum and then, when she returned, casually revealing that she was going to be in the paper.

Ivy told the Adver at the time: “I have been looking forward to this. It is nice to know that Swindon is being remembered for its railway history.

“Because my family used to work on the railway in different jobs, it is good to know they have not been forgotten. I think this museum will really put Swindon on the map.”

The Hemmings family did have a lot of roots in the railways. David said: “My grandfather worked there as a labourer and I had an uncle who was an electrician and another who was a carpenter.

“We grew up in Old Walcot and Rodbourne, the railway was an important part of our lives and history. Mum and I went here, there and everywhere on the railways, I’m fascinated by the history of them.

“I was surprised to discover the ticket - I’m making sure I don’t lose it! I hadn’t realised she was the first visitor but I’ve visited Steam quite a lot since it opened.”

Ivy moved to Swindon from Stoke-on-Trent with her husband in 1967 and died in 2016.

Coun Dale Heenan, Swindon Borough Council’s cabinet member responsible for Steam said: “I would like to thank David for sharing Ivy’s story because it really highlights the importance of Steam to so many people in Swindon.

“As Ivy relayed to the paper all those years ago, it is not just a museum for railway enthusiasts, it is a lasting legacy to the thousands of people who worked inside Brunel’s works and made Swindon the place that it is today.

“We are working hard to get all our procedures in place so we can safely reopen Steam as soon as we can. You can still get your fix of railway nostalgia through our virtual tour.”