Docks Heritage Weekend is taking place later this week

Docks Heritage Weekend is taking place later this week

Posted on: 04 Oct 2022

The action-packed weekend will be a celebration of Bristol’s maritime past with events for all ages scheduled to take place at the M Shed, Underfall Yard and the SS Great Britain.

 

Events will run from 11AM on Saturday 8 until 4PM on Sunday 9 October.

 

Visitors will have the chance to watch re-enactments of cargo handling on the quayside, take a tour of the Albion dock at SS Great Britain and much more in what looks to be a perfect family day out.

 

The weekend itself is free although charges do apply for certain activities (read on for details).

 

 

The epicentre of the weekend will be the M Shed, the harbourside museum dedicated to telling the story of the city. The other locations are Brunel’s great museum ship, SS Great Britain and the historical boatyard, Underfall Yard.

 

The charged activities at the M Shed include trips to the dock’s iconic electric cranes, boat trips on the John King Tug (a diesel tug that dates back to 1935) and trips to see a stationary steam locomotive.

The free M Shed events are a visit to the Victorian Fairbairn steam crane on Hannover Quay, a trip to the Mayflower (the oldest surviving steam tug), a stand set up by Bristol Port Company (the weekend’s sponsors) and a chance to witness cargo handling demonstrations.

 

At Underfall Yard there will be live demonstrations of heritage crafts such as blacksmithing as well as a slew of family activities while the SS Great Britain will be conducting free guided tours of the Albion Dockyard every hour from 11AM and 3PM on both days – these must be pre-booked online here.

With so much on offer throughout the weekend, this seems to be the perfect way to celebrate such an important part of Bristol’s rich history with a chance to explore some of the dock’s well-known (or not-so-well-known) landmarks.

 

Dock Heritage Weekend is running from 11AM on Saturday 8 until 4PM on Sunday 9 October, head to the Bristol Museums website to find out more.

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Article by:

Stanley Gray

Stan is a born and bred Bristolian, recently graduated from studying English Literature in Sheffield. His passions are music and literature and he spends the majority of his time in venues all over the city, immersing himself in Bristol’s alternative music scene. A lifelong Bristol City fan, Stan’s Saturdays are spent watching his team both home and away.