Victorian engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel received a very warm welcome when he returned to Chippenham railway station on Saturday, in a re-enactment of his 1841 visit.

Mr Brunel, and his wife Mary, were greeted with all the due pomp and circumstance due to the man who engineered the building of the Great Western Railway, complete with Chippenham's landmark western arches.

Local children, dressed in Victorian costume, waved Union flags and bunting adorned the platforms.

The Chippenham Town Band played, and the Mayor of Chippenham Coun Maureen Lloyd greeted Mr and Mrs Brunel as they arrived on the London train.

It is the bicentenary of Mr Brunel's birth this year and the re-enactment was organised to launch Chippenham Festival 2006.

David Powell, who played Isambard, said: "It was brilliant. I really enjoyed it. The event was well organised.

"At the station it was terrific - coming down the stairs, hearing the band play and seeing the children waving their flags."

Mrs Brunel was played by heritage centre education officer Jean Harvest, resplendent in Victorian costume.

The couple were joined by the mayor in a horse-drawn carriage, which transported them from the station to the Brunel public house, appropriately next to the railway arches in New Road.

The party was joined by Tim Westinghouse, great grandson of George Westinghouse, founder of the company so key to Chippenham's industrial development, and members of the art festival committee, all magnificently costumed.

After lunch at the Brunel, festival secretary Jane Clark presented a talk on Brunel, and both Mr Brunel and his wife read out historic letters, giving an impression of the man, his life and work.

The party then moved up to the Cove Theatre at Wiltshire College Chippen-ham to see a performance of The Engineer's Corset, a play by Janet Goddard, in which Mary Brunel, played by Jemma Churchill, relinquishes her corset to save her husband's life - after he has inadvertently swallowed a half crown coin.

Following his role as Mr Brunel, Mr Powell is preparing for his performance in the Chippenham Light Opera Group's production of The Merry Widow, from November 29 to December 2.

He plays Baron Zeta - and having lost his full beard for Brunel's trademark sideburns, he is hoping the beard will grow back in time for the Viennese operetta, at the Olympiad.

The festival continues this week with Pam Ayres at the Neeld Hall tonight, and Circus Bezercus at the same venue on Friday night, from 7.15pm.

The Learning Tree will continue the Brunel theme with a family workshop called Brunel's Bridges at the Neeld Hall on Saturday, 11am to 3pm.

The same evening the Neeld Hall will be the venue for a night of Old Tyme Music Hall, from 7.30pm.

The Wessex Concert Orchestra will put on a concert in St Andrew's Church on Saturday at 7.30pm, and on Sunday Mike Stone will be guiding a heritage walk exploring the legacy of Brunel, Brotherhood and engineering in Chippenham.

Musical highlights next week include Opera Piccola at the Neeld Hall on Monday at 7.45pm and the Emerald Ensemble on Wednesday at 7.30pm.

For a full programme and tickets, visit the Chippenham Tourist Information Centre in Market Place.