England on Two Wheels – Exploring 125 Years of Bicycle Touring

Join us for a free evening of cycling history at the Historic England Archive in Swindon. 

See original Victorian photographs and delve into the stories behind our collections.

• Author and journalist Steve Silk will be talking about his experiences cycling from London to Edinburgh along the Great North Road, an adventure across 11 days and 400 miles. Tracing the route taken by C G Harper – a prolific Victorian author and artist – more than 100 years ago, the journey is 'a tribute to Britain and the endless appeal of the open road'

• Archivist Kate Bevan will be using historic photographs from the 1890s to take you on a journey by bicycle from the outskirts of London heading south and west, following the route of the old Portsmouth Road

Book a place for England on Two Wheels

Parking and accessibility

Unfortunately, we do not have parking facilities for the general public, so we would encourage you to get to the site via other means or use the Swindon Designer Outlet car park or Bristol Street car park (charges apply).

We do have limited access to blue badge parking if needed. If you would like this, please contact Charlotte Hill, Engagement and Projects Manager, at [email protected]

If you have accessibility requirements, please do contact the above email address in advance so that we can put the necessary measures in place for your visit.