SS Great Britain Bristol UK

Isambard Kingdom Brunel, perhaps better known for railway construction, designed and largely built the SS Great Britain, in the Port of Bristol England. It extended the boundaries of ship building being among the first to adopt all metal construction and propeller driven. Up until this point, sail and wooden hulls was the norm. Completed around 1844 it served both the trans Atlantic and Australian routes, first as a passenger vessel and then mostly freight. It used a system of steam and sail to give it range and economy. In its day it was very successful and spent many years in revenue generating employment.
Later in life as its efficiency was surpassed by newer ships, she was passed down from owner to owner before finally being abandoned to her fate in Sparrow Cove in the Falkland Islands. After many years as gradual deterioration she was rescued and brought home to Bristol and the dry dock that she had been built in.
Since then there has been a relentless program of conservation and partial reconstruction so that it is both possible to see the hull in its raw state and the interior as it was constructed. The area surrounding the dry dock has been stage set to reflect an authentic feel of a dock of the period of her build. For a day out in Bristol you would have to go a long way to beat this.

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