diff --git a/SWIG/Tools/mkwindows.sh b/SWIG/Tools/mkwindows.sh
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..61af58017
--- /dev/null
+++ b/SWIG/Tools/mkwindows.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+
+# Build Windows distribution (swigwin-1.3.x.zip) -- requires running in a mingw environment.
+
+# path to zip program
+zip=/c/cygwin/bin/zip
+
+if test x$1 != x; then
+    version=$1
+    if test x$2 != x; then
+        zip=$2;
+        echo zip: $zip;
+    fi
+else
+    echo "Usage: mkwindows.sh version [zip]"
+    echo "       version should be 1.3.x"
+    echo "       zip is full path to zip program - default is /c/cygwin/bin/zip"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+swigbasename=swig-$version
+swigwinbasename=swigwin-$version
+tarball=$swigbasename.tar.gz
+
+if test -f "$tarball"; then
+    builddir=build-$version
+    if test -e $builddir; then
+      echo "Deleting directory $builddir..."
+      rm -rf $builddir
+    fi
+    echo "Creating directory $builddir..."
+    mkdir $builddir
+    cd $builddir
+    echo "Unzipping tarball..."
+    tar -zxf ../$tarball
+    sleep 2 # fix strange not finding newly created directory
+    if test -d $swigbasename; then
+      mv $swigbasename $swigwinbasename
+      tar -zxf ../$tarball
+      echo "Running configure..."
+      cd $swigbasename
+      ./configure CXXFLAGS="-O2" CFLAGS="-O2"
+      echo "Compiling (quietly)..."
+      make > build.log
+      echo "Simple check to see if swig.exe runs..."
+      ./swig.exe -version
+      echo "Creating $swigwinbasename.zip..."
+      cd ..
+      cp $swigbasename/swig.exe $swigwinbasename
+      sleep 2 # fix strange not finding swig.exe
+      echo "Unzip into a directory of your choice. Please read the README file as well as Doc\Manual\Windows.html for installation instructions." > swig_windows_zip_comments.txt
+      rm -f ../$swigwinbasename.zip
+      $zip -q -r -9 -z < swig_windows_zip_comments.txt ../$swigwinbasename.zip $swigwinbasename
+      rm -f swig_windows_zip_comments.txt
+      echo "Cleaning up..."
+      cd ..
+      rm -rf $builddir
+      echo "Finished building $swigwinbasename.zip"
+    else
+      echo "Expecting tarball to create directory: $swigbasename but it does not exist"
+      exit 1
+    fi
+else
+    echo tarball missing: $tarball 
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+exit 0