Bristol Dockyards

Over het museum

The SS Great Britain was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel for the Great Western Steamship Company. Launched in 1843, she was the first large ocean-going ship to combine an iron hull with screw propulsion and was the world's largest passenger ship from 1845 to 1853. She sailed first to New York, but costly delays and a grounding in Dundrum Bay ruined her owners.

From 1852 she carried emigrants to Australia until she was converted to a sailing ship in 1881. In 1886 she was damaged beyond repair at the Falkland Islands, where she served as a coal hulk until she was scuttled in 1937. In 1970 a salvage project funded largely by Sir Jack Hayward raised her and towed her back to Bristol, to the dry dock in which she was built.

The original plan to restore her to her 1843 state was dropped in favour of conserving all surviving material from before 1970. When corrosion threatened the hull, a glass plate was fitted across the dry dock at the waterline and dehumidifiers now keep the space beneath dry. She was re-launched as a museum in 2005.

The site is run by the SS Great Britain Trust, a charity. In June 2026 it changed its name to Bristol Dockyards to reflect its wider work, which includes two historic dockyards, the Being Brunel Museum, the Brunel Institute and a new onboarding museum that visitors pass through before boarding the ship.

Hoogtepunten

• SS Great Britain on a glass “sea”, with the hull and propeller visible in the dry dock
• Onboard recreation of Victorian life, including third-class bunks, the first-class dining saloon and the weather deck
• Being Brunel Museum in the Grade II listed Dock Office
• Brunel Institute with more than 75,000 original drawings, letters and objects
• Historic dockyards with the working Albion Dockyard

Vaste collectie

• SS Great Britain Experience – An interactive introduction to the stories of the people and places linked to the ship, followed by the restored vessel with its steerage bunks, dining saloon, weather deck and dry dock.
• Being Brunel Museum – The museum in Brunel's Dock Office recreates the offices of the Great Western Steamship Company as they were in 1850 and explores the engineer's ideas.
• Brunel Institute – A collections archive and library with more than 75,000 original drawings, letters and objects, open to all.

Beheerder

SS Great Britain Trust

Bezoekers per jaar

ca. 131.056 (2025)

Toegangsprijzen & kortingen

Online prices: adult £22, child £14.50 (booking online saves up to 15%). On the door: adult £25, child £16.50. A general admission ticket allows unlimited free return visits for one year. A reduced ticket for recipients of Universal Credit can be bought on site with proof.

Toegankelijkheid

• Rolstoeltoegankelijk
• Lift
• Aangepast toilet
• Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats
• Hulphonden welkom
• Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten
• Rondleidingen in gebarentaal: geen informatie
• Informatie in eenvoudige taal: geen informatie
• Audiodescriptie: geen informatie

Most areas are accessible, with lifts in the SS Great Britain Experience (museum, ship and dry dock), the Being Brunel Museum and the Brunel Institute. The site has uneven cobbled areas; the entrance near The Board Walk restaurant avoids the cobbles at the main gate. Some cabins on the ship may be too narrow for certain wheelchairs; free loan wheelchairs should be reserved in advance. Accessible toilets are in several buildings and on the ship. Blue Badge holders park free in the car park next door, and designated bays are available. A tactile model of the ship, Braille and large-print materials are available on request. Calm sensory sessions, sensory backpacks, ear defenders and sensory guides are offered. The dry dock is very warm and the ship uses immersive sound and smells.

Kinderen & gezin

Erg geschikt voor kinderen & gezinnen

• Gezinsrondleidingen & workshops
• Doe- en voelstations
• Verschoonruimte

A rolling programme of family activities is often included in the ticket price during school holidays. Visitors can get hands-on with history in the third-class bunks and other parts of the ship. Sensory trail and learning backpacks can be borrowed at the visitor centre.

Bereikbaarheid & parkeren

The site is a 26-minute walk from Bristol Temple Meads station and 15 minutes from Broad Quay and Cascade Steps. Limited cycle, e-scooter and e-bike parking is in Brunel Square, and the Festival Way cycle path is two minutes away.

Service & horeca

• Restaurant
• Museumwinkel

The Board Walk restaurant overlooks the harbour just outside the main entrance (Tuesday to Thursday 8:30 to 17:00, Friday 8:30 to 21:00, Saturday 9:30 to 21:00, Sunday 9:30 to 17:00). The gift shop in the visitor centre is free to enter. Food and drink may be brought but not consumed inside; seating is available in the dockyard and in Brunel Square.

Evenementen & zaalverhuur

• Ruimtes te huur
• Privéfeesten
• Zakelijke evenementen
• Bruiloften / trouwceremonies

Spaces on board the ship and in the dockyard for dinners, parties, weddings, conferences, meetings, filming and photography.

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