SS Great Britain – No.1 visitors attraction in Bristol UK
The SS Great Britain is on the Harbourside in Bristol and is a great tourist attraction to visit in the South West of England. It is easy to see why it is has been voted the number one attraction in Bristol as it is such an informative and enjoyable place to visit, they are always having cool events and it is one of my favourite places to visit in Bristol so I can not praise it enough.
I have been invited to visit the SS Great Britain a few times with the Bristol Bloggers group o belong to and I am always excited when we have an event at the SS Great Britain as it is always so much fun
I first visited the SS Great Britain when I first moved to Bristol and it has since had a revamp and is now also a accessible tourist attraction which makes it even better.
The attraction has won over 30 major awards which is amazing. Its currently the No.1 visitor attraction on Trip Advisor for Bristol and I can see why.
Brunel’s SS Great Britain is the world’s first great ocean liner and the most innovative steam ship of her time, launched in 1843. I am really into cruising at the moment and it is interesting to see how it was 150 years ago.
I am glad now a days they don’t have live cattle on the ship with the passengers but in these times they needed to in order to provide the passengers and crew with eggs, milk and meat. Luckily now they just go to the fridge or freezer.
I have decided that I would have been in the first class cabins, my mum however was going steerage so she wasn’t allowed over this line.
It was a really enjoyable morning. First we were greeted with goodie bags, everyone loves free stuff and I was well impressed with my notebook, badge and feather pen. We were then given a tour which was really interesting presented by Dominic Rowe the Communications Officer. Afterwards we had our own time to go and explore.
How accessible is the SS Great Britain
The SS Great Britain is accessible the exhibitions were easy for me to get around with my mobility limits. It has brilliant disabled access, there were lifts to all the decks.
Some of the cabins are too narrow to get a standard wheelchair through but you can use their specially designed wheelchair to get you to these areas free of charge. It has been well thought of for disabled access and I am really impressed.
For more accessible information see the details in the dockyard companion.
Food and Drink at the SS Great Britain
We were lucky enough to get a complimentary cake and drink (thank you SS Great Britain!!) it was delicious I had ginger loaf and my mum had a scone which apparently is from the original recipe and she said it was one of the best she had ever had.
I really enjoyed my ginger loaf in fact do you think it is wrong to go back to a venue just for the cake as I now have a year’s ticket I might just happen to be in the area!!
The SS Great Britain is brilliant, it is so interesting, there are lots of interacting exhibits for adults and kids. I had a really good morning and would highly recommend visiting this attraction if you are in Bristol.
If you are coming to Bristol you can find out more things to do in Bristol here.
Facts about Brunel’s SS Great Britain
- Her super-sized iron hull made her, in 1843, the biggest and strongest ship ever built
- Brunel daringly fitted her with a steam-powered propeller which was the very latest invention in maritime technology
- It took four years to build the SS Great Britain, and then another 18 months to get her out of Bristol. This was because Brunel made her too big to fit easily through the lock at the entrance of the floating harbour
- The SS Great Britain sailed around the world 32 times – that is more than 1,000,000 miles at sea
- The SS Great Britain returned to the Great Western Dockyard on 19 July 1970, 127 years to the day after her launch
Tickets to Brunel’s SS Great Britain cost £14 per adult, £8 per child (5-17 year olds) and children under 4 go free. A family ticket (2 adults with 2 or 3 children) costs £37. For more information, please visit www.ssgreatbritain.org or call . (source: provided by SS Great Britain PR and Comms Team) As I was looking for more information about the ship before my visit I came across this poem and it explained it all to me in simple fun terms and it make me chuckle so thought I would share. (credit : history for kids )
The SS Great Britain A poem for kids by Paul Perro
Once there was a builder Named Isambard Brunel. He built the beautiful Clifton bridge And he built ships as well.
He built the world’s biggest ship, ‘Twas huge, a real heavyweight. He gave the ship the name “Britain” And everyone thought it was Great.
The Great Britain ship was proud. She liked to brag and boast “I’m the biggest ship in the world And fastest coast to coast!
Old Brunel has built me well, What a clever fella! No other ship in the world Has such a good propeller.”
She raced other ships across the ocean And gave them all a thrashing Everybody agreed Great Britain was super smashing.
Super smashing Great Britain (or SS Great Britain for short) Was the fastest ship in the world Nothing could stop her, she thought!
One day it was very foggy And she couldn’t find the land. She searched and searched but ended up Stuck fast, in some sand.
Britain had to be rescued What embarrassment! What shame! The rescuers were nice to her, But she knew she was to blame.
After that she wasn’t boastful She just got on with her work. She wished she hadn’t been big-headed She felt like such a berk.
Wherever hard work needed doing SS Great Britain was there. Whatever problem she faced She tackled it with flair.
She took families across the world And carried soldiers to battle. Sometimes she carried coal Sometimes pigs and cattle.
After many years she felt weary It was hard work being the best. She parked herself at some islands And settled down for a rest.
Eventually though, her friends in England Heard she was worn out. They crossed the ocean to bring her home They all still loved her, no doubt.
Crowds gathered by the river Waiting for her to appear. When at last she came into sight There was a mighty cheer.
As Britain chugged under Clifton bridge She rang the old ship’s bell. And everyone there thought for a minute And remembered their old friend Brunel.
But that is not the end of the story The end has not yet been written. You can go to Bristol and see for yourself The super smashing Great Britain
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