Lasting legacy of Brunel, the greatest engineer
Bristol & South West Regional Group: visit to SS Great
Britain
 The SCI's Bristol & South West
Regional Group made a timely summer
visit - coinciding with the
200th anniversary of Isambard
Kingdom Brunel's birth - to
the fully restored SS Great
Britain. The ship was the greatest
and most advanced of its
time and was in continuous
service for almost 60 years. To
see it now in its resting place at
the Great Western Dock, Bristol,
is a tribute to all who have
been involved in the restoration
of this magnificent vessel.
Having purchased tickets,
which came in the form of
'passengers' contract tickets' to
Melbourne, Australia - giving
details of luggage space for
each adult and a guarantee of
being victualled during the
voyage - the visitors entered
the age of the Victorians.
The tour started at the bottom
of the dry dock looking at
the iron hull, which is 88m
long and 15.5m wide. The
whole structure is encased in a
transparent glass ceiling
stretching from the hull to the
dockside and holding a few
centimetres of water. This
enables de-humidifiers to
maintain a dry atmosphere in
the bulkheads, and from the
dockside gives the appearance
of a floating ship.
A walk around the first class
dining saloon, cabins and rest
rooms was in stark contrast to
the amenities in steerage and
the crew's quarters, where four
and six to a cabin was the general
rule. A working replica of
the original engine that drove
the six-bladed propeller, now
installed with its four great
cylinders and massive overhead
crankshaft, gave an
appreciation of the immensity
and complexity of the engineering
involved below decks.
There were illustrated visual
and audio units that augmented
the tour, along with
many interesting artefacts, letters
and photographs. At the
end of the visit it was a great
surprise and delight to 'meet'
Brunel himself, who gave us
yet more interesting facts and
stories about the ship.
www.ssgreatbritain.org
Bill Clarkson
Honorary Programme Secretary
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