A Swindon office building, once part of Old Town’s long-closed railway station, has been rebranded to reflect its new role as a location for independent businesses.
Old Station House has been home to national accountancy firm Haines Watts since 1997 and is the base for three of its partners – managing partner Mike Lloyd, charity/not for profit specialist Sue Plumb and tax partner Martin Gurney.
Haines Watts has now been joined by four other businesses, all taking advantage of the site’s free parking and location at the heart of Old Town’s commercial centre.
The new firms are design, print and production specialists Studio Creative Services; creative agency Juicy Designs; human resources consultancy HR4Business; and training company Bespoke Training Services.
Old Station House, in Station Approach off Newport Street, once housed the offices of the Midland and South Western Railway. The rebrand represents a station canopy and the tracks, and draws on historic railway colours.
Dale Wyatt, who runs Juicy Designs and created the rebrand, said he had been looking for premises where he could collaborate more closely with Studio Creative Services, run by Steve Munson.
He said: “Steve and I were looking for a base between Old Town and the A419. We looked at quite a few places but the advantage of being central, coupled with easy parking, made Old Station House the obvious choice.”
Echoing Dale’s comments, Steve added: “Dale and I are seeking to expand our client base in the Swindon area and Old Station House was the perfect place for us to move into. The building and location are excellent.”
All five businesses met through the Swindon-based Isambard chapter of the Business Networking International (BNI) networking/referral group which meets over breakfast at Swindon’s Jurys Inn every Friday.
Anne Messer, of Bespoke Training Services, said: “I was looking for an office and through meeting Mike Lloyd at BNI I heard about Old Station House.
“I now have a beautiful office, and we have regular discussions and collaboration between the companies here. Plus I love Old Town. It has a totally different feel from the town centre.”
Lorraine Stevens, of HR4Business, added: “Anne and I had been thinking of moving into joint premises for about a year and when we saw Old Station House it seemed absolutely perfect for us. We’ve got our own space, but we’re in a shared office too which is very companionable and we collaborate closely. Old Town has a real community feel and a lot of new businesses are opening up here.”
Mike said: “Haines Watts has been here for 16 years and we have had tenants for parts of the building in the past but not for a couple of years. We wanted to look for like-minded businesses to join us, who would enjoy the excellent facilities and location. These four fitted the bill and we are hoping to collaborate more closely in the future.”
Pictured, from left, Sue Plumb, Mike Lloyd, Dale Wyatt, Steve Munson, Martin Gurney, Anne Messer and Lorraine Stevens
