Brunel's SS Great Britain site unveils new name

1 hour ago

Matty EdwardsBristol

News image — The SS Great Britain was the biggest and fastest ship of its era

Max McClure/SS Great Britain Trust The SS Great Britain, a giant black ship in Bristol Harbour, lined with coloured flags. There are rows of colourful terraced homes in the background. — The SS Great Britain was the biggest and fastest ship of its era

The site of the SS Great Britain in Bristol is being renamed as it undergoes a revamp.

Previously called Brunel's SS Great Britain, it will now be known as Bristol Dockyards as the site shifts its focus away from renowned engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel and towards ordinary people.

An interactive exhibition at Bristol Dockyards opening on 18 July will share the previously untold stories of those aboard the steamship.

It will focus on human stories from 1845 to 1886 – when SS Great Britain was the biggest, fastest ship at sea, carrying passengers from 51 nations.

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The museum is hoping to bring attention to the city's industrial and colonial history, and the exhibition is based on five years of research by local community groups.

Elements of the steamship's working life, including previously untold stories of local labourers who built the vessel, will be explored with 2,000 sq ft (186 sq m) of new exhibition space.

The museum will reveal histories of people of colour, such as George Moses, a ship's cook from Jamaica, and the Barbadian musician and poet James W Jones, who traveled from Melbourne to Liverpool.

An Australian section at the exhibition will focus on the ship's role in carrying 15,885 emigrants from the UK and the first First Nations cricket team.

The museum will also examine how the ship was used to carry troops in global and imperial conflicts, such as the 1853-1856 Crimean War and the Indian Rebellion in 1857.

Adam Gasson/SS Great Britain The SS Great Britain, a giant black ship in Bristol Harbour, as seen from the bow. Blocks of flats and industrial buildings in a dockyard are seen around it. — Stories of local labourers who built the ship will be among those shared at the exhibition

Andrew Edwards, CEO of Bristol Dockyards and the SS Great Britain Trust, said the reopening marked an "important moment" for the site.

"In a city renowned for its creativity and cultural energy, Bristol Dockyards will be a place where more people can engage with the past, build skills for the future and help shape a shared civic story," he said.

Shani Whyte, a community researcher, said working on the project was "one of the most inspiring parts of my life so far".

"So many people from different backgrounds from all around the world travelled on the ship and it's so exciting that their stories will now be told," she said.

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