Wood-turner Simon Webb, 54, is making commemorative pens to mark the forthcoming 175th anniversary of the Railway Works, using timber recovered from the site. He is also co-founder and volunteer curator of the Museum of Computing. Dad-of-four Simon is married to Linda and lives in West Swindon

“I WAS born within the sound of the railway hooter,” said Simon Webb. “It’s the Swindon equivalent of Bow Bells, I guess.

“My parents originally lived in Emlyn Square. My father worked in the Railway Works and his father before him worked in the Railway Works, and my mother worked there for a time. We were a Works family.

“We lived in Moredon for a while, and then when I was about five we moved to Faringdon Road. That was lovely because we considered Faringdon Road Park as our front garden.

“I have fond memories of building aeroplanes with my dad, flying them in the park and crashing them into trees and things.”

The timber Simon is using to make the pens once formed a shock absorber beneath a heavy machine in the blacksmith’s shop, not far from his father’s desk.

It’s a piece of Jarrah, a type of eucalyptus from Western Australia.

“Because of the connection with the works,” said Simon, “and especially because of the connection with where my father worked, it’s very special. I’ve not worked with anything that I’ve got as big an emotional attachment to as this.

“It’s lovely that people can actually own a piece of the Railway Works, and in the form of something they can actually use. It’s not just going to sit on a shelf.

“I’m a very fortunate guy, being able to do a job that I really love. At the back of my mind I always knew that I was going to end up making things for a living.

“To be able to do that is fantastic.”

Simon’s early ambition was to be a palaeontologist but then another interest came along.

“My brother was quite into technology and he got me into electronics. The first computer I ever came across was when I was doing A-Levels in Commonweal and we didn’t have a computer in the school at that time – about 1977 probably.

“The physics teacher used to take us to Swindon College once a fortnight in the evening to use their mini-computer. It was all done by teletypes. The first programme I ever wrote was noughts and crosses – it printed out the results.

“I was hooked then.

“I loved anything to do with technology – I became a geek before it became popular – before there was geek chic.”

Simon worked first at the Royal Military College of Science in Shrivenham, where his job included briefing the Cold War-era military on radiation protection issues.

Later he ran an electronic component shop in London, designed printed circuit boards in Bristol, returned to Swindon and worked for a firm making generators for applications including light houses.

A stint at Intel was followed by work at another firm, designing handheld computer programmes for use by a variety of people – including traffic wardens.

“I wrote some of the first software in the UK to issue parking tickets with a hand-held computer. That’s my dark secret. I’ll probably get hate mail now…”

Simon became a freelancer in the sector more than 20 years ago. He still does some teaching and training, but mostly concentrates on wood-turning. He bought his first lathe about 15 years ago. Pen-making began as a hobby.

“It took me a good year to get to the level of quality that I want, to be able to sell them, because I’m a bit of a perfectionist. They’re quite labour-intensive and we use some interesting woods. I achieve a ‘dipped in glass’ finish on them. They’re also the very best mechanisms I can obtain.”

His other great passion is the Museum of Computing, which he founded with an old friend, Swindon solicitor and community volunteer Jeremy Holt.

Simon had been collecting computers since buying a ZX81 kit in 1981. By the time Jeremy got in touch about 13 years ago to say he’d found premises at the old Oakfield campus, Simon had about 150 machines crammed into his home.

“I always say he probably saved my marriage…”

The museum, which moved to the town centre eight years ago, is becoming a significant tourist attraction. New volunteers are always welcome, whatever their age, background and experience – or lack of it – with computers.

“It’s nice to feel we’re doing something positive for Swindon,” said Simon.

“Swindon gets slated so much, but when people visit the computer museum we get just fabulous feedback from them.

“People love what we’re doing. People travel to Swindon just to come and see us.”

 The museum’s website is museumofcomputing.org.uk