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Contact us

The Technology Strategy Board
Block B, Floor 1
North Star House
North Star Avenue
Swindon
SN2 1JF

Contact number: 01793 442700

e-mail: enquiries@tsb.gov.uk

North Star House is located in Swindon, Wiltshire.

Swindon is in the south of the UK on the 'M4 corridor' between Bristol and London.

Directions to North Star House

By Rail

Visiting North Star House is best done by rail, as car parking on-site is extremely limited. Furthermore, the site is conveniently situated directly behind Swindon's train station.

Swindon is served by First Great Western services from:

  • London Paddington (1 hour);
  • Reading (30 minutes);
  • Didcot Parkway (15 minutes);
  • Chippenham (15 minutes);
  • Bath (30 minutes);
  • Bristol (45 minutes);
  • Cardiff (1 hour).

Road coach connections at Reading serve Heathrow airport.

Other train operators run services to Swindon from Oxford (taking around 50 minutes) and Gloucester (about 45 minutes). Please check travel times on the National Rail Enquiries website.

North Star House is directly behind Swindon train station. You should leave the station via the footbridge rather than the main entrance. If you arrive on platforms 1, 2 or 3, you should be able to find the footbridge easily as it is located between WHSmith and the underpass to the main entrance (you will not need to go down any stairs to reach it). If you arrive on platform 4, follow the signs to platforms 1, 2 and 3 and look out for WHSmith; you will see the access to the footbridge immediately to the right. Once you have crossed the footbridge you will see Polaris House; turn left and walk along the road and North Star House will be directly in front of you.

By road

Since parking at North Star House is extremely limited, the Technology Strategy Board urges visitors to use alternative methods of transport where available. If you will be driving, please be aware that parking is only available by prior arrangement - you will need to inform your host at the Technology Strategy Board to make arrangements for this.

If you do not make prior arrangements for parking, or if you prefer, there is a pay and display car park available immediately off site.

If you are travelling by road, we recommend you use a route planning service such as RAC's Route Planner or The AA's Route Planner. One of the postcodes you can use for North Star House is SN2 1JF.

North Star House is situated in an area called North Star - this is also home to Swindon College's North Star campus and the Oasis leisure centre. The road on which you approach North Star is a dual carriageway, Great Western Way (A3102). We advise you to enter Swindon by J16 of the M4. You will almost immediately join Great Western Way; simply look out for signs that say North Star and Oasis leisure centre.

If you arrive by other routes you are advised to look for signs to 'town centre' first, and then 'North Star'. See the table below for further information.

Once you arrive at the roundabout on Great Western Way for North Star, head in and take the road between the Oasis and Swindon College. At the end of this road you should be able to see the train station and the pay and display car park in front of you. North Star House is to your right.

On arrival at North Star House, please proceed around the building to the parking spaces at the back of the building, following the Technology Strategy Board signs. Park in the bays marked out in green.

By air

The best airports to use when visiting us would be either London Heathrow or Bristol International.

From London Heathrow, you can take a Railair coach to Reading and then a train to Swindon. Alternatively, you could use the Heathrow Express, a train which takes you from Heathrow to Paddington, where you can then take a train direct to Swindon.
From Bristol International, you can use the Bristol International Flyer express coach service to take you to Bristol Temple Meads train station; from here you will be able to take a direct train to Swindon.

From

Distance

Route

London

81 miles

M4 to J15, then A419, A4259 into Swindon (or continue to J16, see Bristol)

Reading

40 miles

See London

Bristol

42 miles

M4 to J16, then A3102 into Swindon (A3102 is Great Western Way)

Bath

38 miles

See Bristol

Cardiff

77 miles

See Bristol

Gloucester

35 miles

A417/A419, then A4311 into Swindon.

Salisbury

41 miles

A345 (to M4 J15), then A419, A4259 into Swindon.