Exhibition: The General Strike

STEAM is running an exhibition on The General Strike, which opened on 2 May 2026 and stays on until 28 February 2027. It marks the centenary of the 1926 General Strike, the nine-day national walkout that saw around 3 million workers across the country stop work in solidarity with coal miners who were facing pay cuts and longer hours.

Swindon had its own particular stake in it. The Great Western Railway was hit hard, with more than 80% of its workforce walking out. The company kept trains running with the help of non-striking staff and over 5,000 volunteers, so the strike left a real mark on the railway town. The display brings that together using original items from the museum's collection, including some recent acquisitions, and follows the GWR's response to the strike through the posters and notices they put out at the time.

It's worth remembering where you're seeing it. STEAM is the Museum of the Great Western Railway, housed in a restored Grade II railway building at the heart of the town's former railway works. The whole museum tells the story of the men and women who built, operated and travelled on the line known as 'God's Wonderful Railway', which took its lead from the engineering of Isambard Kingdom Brunel. This exhibition fits right into that, focusing on one of the most turbulent moments in the railway's history.

It's on from 2 May 2026 to 28 February 2027 at STEAM - Museum of the Great Western Railway, Fire Fly Ave, Swindon, SN2 2EY. Entry is included with admission, so you can see it as part of a wider visit to the museum.