SS Great Britain

SS Great Britain is a mid-19th-century iron-hulled steamship designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel and launched in 1843, now preserved as a museum ship in Bristol, England. It is recognised for its pioneering iron construction and screw-propeller design.

The attraction centres on the restored hull and dock, with access to reconstructed passenger and crew spaces, and a visitor centre that presents the ship’s engineering, transatlantic and emigrant service, and later history. Exhibits cover construction, voyages and the salvage and restoration programme.

Built by the Great Western Steamship Company under Brunel’s direction, the ship served as a transatlantic passenger liner and later on emigrant routes; after several decades of service it was decommissioned and eventually scuttled overseas before being salvaged and returned to Bristol for conservation. The vessel underwent a major salvage and restoration programme in the 1970s and subsequent decades to create the present museum.

The ship is located in the Great Western Dockyard on Bristol’s Floating Harbour, within the city’s historic dockland redevelopment.

• Designer and launch: Designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel and launched in 1843, notable as one of the first large ocean-going iron-hulled, screw-propelled steamships.

What to See #

• The ship: Restored iron-hulled steamship preserved in a dry dock at the Great Western Dockyard, displaying the original hull, propeller and reconstructed interior spaces including passenger saloons and crew areas.
• Museum and dock: Visitor centre and museum around the dry dock that interpret the ship's construction, Isambard Kingdom Brunel's design, 19th-century ocean travel and the vessel's later history and restoration.