Eighty years before the Titanic, there was the SS Great Britain. The ship, which has operated as a museum in Bristol since the 1970s, is set to receive a bit of a makeover next year – or at least its visitor centre will.
At the time, the SS Great Britain was the largest boat ever built and at the forefront of maritime engineering. It was a passenger ship that shuttled punters across the Atlantic from Bristol – the home of its designer, Isombard Kingdom Brunel and its manufacturer the Great Western Steamship Company. After 40 years in service and more than 30,000 people ferried across the ocean, the vessel was decommissioned and, finally, found a permanent home in Bristol harbour where it remains to this day.
The work that’s currently planned involves regenerating the converted storage shed named the Dockyard Museum (which punters pass through to get onto the boat itself) in what is set to be a ‘major reinterpretation of the historic site’. The owners hope to increase accuracy, and attract brand new audiences to Britain’s naval legacies.
Some of the £1 million that has been raised for the boat– £705,000 from the Philip Nicholas Trust and a further £245,000 through The National Lottery Heritage Fund – will also go towards research, to ensure that the museum has the best, most up to date information on show. Additionally, it will oversee the construction of a ‘community hub’ with ‘multiple pathways for community members to join the organisation as researchers and as advisory group members’.
This work is set to begin in 2026, with the museum closing for a few months next spring to allow it to be carried out.
The CEO of the SS Great Britain Trust, Andrew Edwards said: ‘Bristol is a city shaped by global journeys, and so is the SS Great Britain. This is not only about a funding milestone; it’s about creating opportunities for the discovery of new stories and ideas.
‘By working side-by-side with Bristol residents, we can ensure the Dockyard Museum, and all our storytelling and research reflects not only the ship’s international journeys, but the lived experiences and perspectives of the city today.’
Time Out’s take
I visited most of Bristol’s major museums, and while it may not be as big as the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, or as cool as the Arnolfini, the SS Great Britain was by far my favourite.
You don’t need to have any interest in boats or maritime history to enjoy this experience. It’s a step back into a different time, which tells the history of this ship through the stories of the people it carried. I felt like an actor walking through a film set, meticulously recreating life as a Victorian passenger through diary excerpts, real testimonies, and even dinner menus. It’s well worth a visit, and I look forward to seeing the Dockyard Museum – probably the least exciting part of the experience – after its refurb.
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