ss Great Britain - A Review Of A Bristol Landmark

Posted on: 2016-06-03

Our rating:

It was a fantastic day and not once did I hear "I'm bored" which is the true sign of a good day with the sproglets. I really recommend this day out to anyone who hasn't yet been aboard the SS Great Britain.


 

I have lived in Bristol for 10 years and the war office has lived here for a good old 41 years, not that she is happy I have shared her age with the world wide web, and neither of us have ever stepped foot aboard the ss Great Britain. I do believe a large proportion of Bristol folk haven’t been inside, we all know where it is, it’s not like the large black and white ship doesn’t stand out in the Bristol floating harbour and it’s wonderfully placed next to The Cottage a decent watering hole in the summer months.

This half term we were persuaded by the kids to go aboard – I will be honest I didn’t have much hope but like most things I was wrong. The wife described it as a  “hidden gem” – which in itself is quite funny. She’s completely right it is a hidden gem, you would never expect to see what we saw and how much fun it would be for all ages but to say hidden! It’s a 4000 ton 50 foot ship sitting in the middle of Bristol city centre; the ss Great Britain would not win any games of hide and seek. More people need to know how brilliant the ss Great Britain is and hopefully this will do something to spread the word of all things Brunel, steel and boats.

SS Great Britain - A Review Of A Bristol Landmark

On arrival we were greeted by Brunel himself – well apparently a younger descendant, who welcomed us with informative wit, he even managed to shoot down the 10 year old who asked for a puff on his cigar in a Victorian fashion. He set us up and started our time travel journey back into 1843 when the ss Great Britain was launched.  Our first port of call was the under the water to see the boat’s keel, or bottom as the children would call it. It was a great way to see how big the ship was and how much steel was used in the making of this ship. It was also a free sauna as we stepped from Bristol into Dubai, I jest as without the humidity removers (not the official term) the ship would rust away.

We were then directed into the Museum which is well planned with informative and interactive exhibits for adults and children about the fixing of the ship in 1970 and the structure of the boat – did you know that the first ashes touring cricket side used the ss Great Britain for their travel? I like a museum that understands children – this is one of those. Kids don’t do reading or standing still for anything over 2 seconds and it’s ok in this museum as they can climb the mast, steer the computerised ship and dress up in Victorian clothes. Needless to say I also love the dressing up bit (shame on you if you found this funny) but I do make a wonderful Brunel albeit heavier impersonator.

SS Great Britain - A Review Of A Bristol Landmark for 365Bristol.com

The final trip and the main section is the ship itself – you are transported back in time to when the ship was in use. You walk round the ship that has been restored to its former glory with rooms being decorated to how it was back then. The museum uses very realistic and some quite disturbing models to set the scene. You’re shown the first class area with the hair dressers and the doctors surgery that evens smells of antiseptic  solution. You can try one of their beds out - note to self, people were not 6 foot 5 in 1850; I looked like a bear in an aeroplane toilet. My favourite was the worker quarters with the kitchen, butchery and bakery that actually smells of freshly made bread. The children mainly enjoyed the toilets which some were in use…yuck! We arrived just in time for story time on the main promenade by one of the shipmates who told the tales of love on the old ship. We were soon in the poor section of the boat and it’s fair to say the beds were even smaller with rats dotted around and smells that resemble a 13 year old’s dirty sock drawer. We ended our tour with a good old fashioned game of quoits on the main deck while one of the kids climbed to the crow’s nest and another two scrubbed the decks! Brilliant stuff.

SS Great Britain - A review for 365Bristol.com

It was a fantastic day and not once did I hear “I’m bored” which is the true sign of a good day with the sproglets. I really recommend this day out to anyone who hasn’t yet been aboard the ss Great Britain. It is a fantastic day out.  It’s a very obvious gem with hidden wonders within….see what I did there?

5/5

Reviewed by Trevor for 365Bristol.com - The website where local information matters.

For more info please visit www.ssgreatbritain.org and their Facebook and Twitter pages.

Tickets are £14 for adults, £8 for children aged 5-17, while children aged 4 or under are admitted free of charge. There are discounts available for senior citizens and students.



Article by:

James Anderson

Born and raised in the suburbs of Swansea, Jimmy moved to Bristol back in 2004 to attend university. Passionate about live music, sport, science and nature, he can usually be found walking his cocker spaniel Baxter at any number of green spots around the city. Call James on 078 9999 3534 or email Editor@365Bristol.com.