SS Great Britain, Bristol

It was a grey and rainy day today and I had a slow and relaxing morning at the campsite. It’s quite cosy and warm inside Alfie the Campervan!

This afternoon’s activity was to visit the museum ship the SS Great Britain, very close to my campsite. What a fascinating thing to see! Designed by the great British engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, it’s maiden voyage was in 1845. The ship encompassed many ‘firsts’. It was the first to be built of iron AND have a screw propellor. It was the first iron ship to cross the Atlantic and it was the longest ship in the world from 1845-1854.

The ship was in service until 1886 and was used in many different ways. It started its life as a passenger steam ship, using the sails as secondary power when winds were favourable. It’s early journeys were back and forth between Bristol and New York. Built for 360 passengers, the first voyage carried just 45 passengers. After many design refits the ship was sold and placed into the England - Australia service in 1952. This was to meet demand after gold was discovered in Australia in 1951 and so many emigrated to find their fortune there. The passenger capacity was increased from 360 to 730 with other design modifications and a typical voyage took 2 months. She operated this route for 30 years with two brief breaks as a troopship during the Crimean war and the Indian Mutiny.

In 1882 the ship was converted to a sailing ship and was used to transport coal to the Americas. Her final voyage was in 1886 when she had a fire onboard across the Atlantic and on arrival at the Falkland Islands was found to be damaged beyond economic repair. She was sold and used as a floating coal bunker at Port Stanley until 1937 when she was then scuttled and abandoned.

In 1970 a restoration and recovery project were made possible by several large donations. The ship was repaired enough to be refloated and was carried across the Atlantic supported by a submersible pontoon and pulled by a tug. The journey took several weeks and for the final part of the journey was taken off the pontoon, now totally afloat, and re-entered Bristol, her birthplace.

Restoration and conservation has continued over the decades and the ship is now a popular museum with over 150,000 visitors a year. I enjoyed a few hours there and highly recommend a visit! Much of the inside has been recreated with the various living quarters, dining rooms and kitchens to get a feel of how life would have been aboard the ship and what kind of passengers were aboard. You can also see the cargo areas and the engine rooms. All fascinating and well done. Well worth the price of the ticket.

I was one of the last to leave when the museum closed for the day. There were two exhibits I didn’t have time to see but the ticket is valid for a year so hopefully I can make it back soon. It was raining when I left so I made my way back to the campsite. I had planned to visit the pub next door for dinner, but with it being too wet for outdoor dining, it was heaving with people inside. Not one for crowds, especially when I’m on my own, I had a cosy evening back at the van, making a simple dinner for myself there. Loving van life!