Great Britain Trip

I've just returned from a trip to see the SS Great Britain, Brunel's fantastic ship which is now housed in Bristol, and, as it was so good, I thought I'd tell you about it.

We arrived quite early in the morning when the sky was a fantastic blue and very few people were about. On our way to breakfast across the docks, we saw this steam train.

We - my family - ate at Brunel's Buttery, an outlet of mouthwateringly greasy foods (bacon butties, pasties etc.), and the healthy option which I selected is pictured below.

After we had filled our stomachs with cholesterol, we ambled down the dockside, taking in the sights, until we reached the museum. Admission was reasonable - I can't recall exactly what - and we were promptly admitted. I have only been once or twice before, so I was anxious to see how they had improved the sight, especially given the publicity I'd heard. Well, it certainly lived up to the hype. Before you can board the ship, you must go through their very well thought out museum. Inside this, there are numerous displays, these being mainly composed of intriguing extracts from passengers' diaries or letters and really helping to bring the history to life. Additionally, someone had the clever idea of arranging the museum in chronological order - therefore, when you go in, you work backwards in time, starting from her journey back from the Falkland Islands in the 70s, towards when Brunel himself was designing it. It was nice to see an actor going around the place, complete with stovepipe hat, telling visitors that it was his 200th birthday - which of course it is today.

The idea being something I had heard of (but assumed would be crap), they have put glass around the ship's hull and then put a small, the nonetheless sufficient, layer of water on top - the effect, pictured above, is excellent.

The ship's deck and interior are also equally impressive. When we climbed aboard, a lady offered us radio guides, these being things that, when triggered, deliver a talk to you about various areas of the ship. Similarly to the museum, on here actors read out entries from passengers and crew members' diaries, recalling humorous incidents (a fight between two women in steerage, upon which people placed bets), fascinating circumstantial details (they kept 50 turkeys on board) and other, more serious matters - such as the Captain committing suicide by jumping ship during the night! There was other more usual stuff: i.e. cabins laid out with their occupant's belongings, the galley with some ingredients on show etc. I thought there could have been some more boards inside though. On the whole however, it was excellent - well worth the money; especially as we can return any time for another year on the same ticket.