The industry which made modern Swindon into an industrial powerhouse, and the town that it has now become takes centre stage for Heritage open days.

Venues throughout Swindon, but particularly focused on the Railway Village and the GWR works which spawned it will be opening up and giving glimpses behind the scenes  over the next 10 days.

Buildings such as The Bakers Arms, originally a pub and now a community venue, The Pattern Church based in the old GWR Pattern store, the Workshed in the Carriage Works and a tour of the designer outlet village, looking for unseen remnants of its origins as a rail factory will be available.

One of the better-known buildings taking part is the health Hydro in Milton Road.

Many Swindonians over the last 130 years will have gone for a swim or even a bath there.

But visitors during the open days will be able to see back into the building’s Victorian past.

And also get a glimpse of its 21st-century future.

Andrea Green, who is secretary of the Friends of Health Hydro group will be one of the volunteers showing people around on tours on Saturday from 11am to 3.30pm.

She said: “We want to show people the building, but just as important are the stories of the people who used it, who came here. This is 130 years old this year, and it is well known to be the model for the NHS, with Aneurin Bevan saying it was all here in Swindon, and just needed to be expanded.

“We want to tell those stories.”

The volunteers will also be able to expand on plans to refurbish the building and restore more of it, which is still a working swimming baths, with Turkish bats and even a bath tub for hire, back closer to its Victorian state.

Ms Green said: “Swindon Borough Council has secured £5m from the Towns funds and is putting in £1.5m of its own money for a major revamp, opening up more of the building and making it more accessible.

Ms Green said: “It sounds like a lot of money but it won’t go that far.”

Visitors will be able to go upstairs into the rabbit warren of the rooms in the building which were used as dispensaries and consulting rooms.

And one of the lesser-known glories is the wonderful Victorian craftsmanship.

Ms Green said: “There’s a curved wall of one of the rooms, with glazed bricks at the bottom and etched glass above, and it’s so much more difficult to make that curved, but they did it. It was a utilitarian building, but it has such beautiful detailing.

“Every door has a curved top, the doorframe has to be curved to fit the door. It’s beautiful.”

Among the hidden gems is a short passageway to the space used by the Shoebox theatre group, which has original details unchanged; dark wood doors and skirting, stippled glass and cream, green and white glazed bricks.

And even the original Victorian ‘Adamant’ urinals in a gentlemen’s loo will be available to visit: Ms Green said: “This will be on the tour even for ladies if they want to see how it was.”

There are 19 different venues throwing open their doors during the Heritage Open Days week from  Saturday until  Sunday, September 18/

As well as the railway Village and GWR works venues, there will be churches such as  St mary’s in Lydiard Tregoze with its pre-Reformation wall paintings and St Andrew’s in north Swindon, as well as the Richard Jefferies Museum, Lydiard House Museum  a tour of Stratton St Margaret and  a look round the conservation area around Prospect Place in Old town