‘So many people from different backgrounds travelled on the ship and it’s so exciting that their stories will now be told”
The SS Great Britain is one of Bristol’s most famous and popular visitor attractions.(Image: mattbuck)
One of Bristol’s biggest visitor attractions, the SS Great Britain, is to rebrand as ‘Bristol Dockyards’ ahead of the reopening of a new ‘state-of-the-art museum next month.
The rebrand is the result of a huge transformation of the ship’s associated museum, backed by lottery funding, which looks to tell the stories of the people from all over the world who travelled on the ship in the 19th century.
The ship itself isn’t being renamed – the museum and entire visitor attraction around it is – and long term, museum bosses have an ambition to restore the old Albion Dock next door and recreate a replica of one of Brunel’s other huge ships – the SS Great Western – there as a second vessel for visitors to explore.
Bristol Live first revealed the plan for the transformation of the museum a year ago, and the museum next to the ship had to close while it was undergoing the change.
The reopening takes place on July 18, and will see an additional 2,000 square feet of exhibition space, and tell the story of those who travelled on the SS Great Britain during the 41 years it was in service as a passenger vessel.
“Using newly-discovered material, interactive exhibits and history discovered by the people of Bristol, the new museum explores the impact of the ship on the world, on the lives of those on board, and on the places to which it travelled,” said a spokesperson.
“From technological revolution to emigration, trade, culture and globalisation, the exhibits will take visitors through the world the SS Great Britain shaped,” he added.
Pictured in March 2026 – The SS Great Britain Trust fundraising appeal aims to raise £180,000 in just six weeks to complete the reinvention of the Dockyard Museum(Image: SS Great Britain)
The focus of the museum will shift from being about the ship itself, how it was built and Brunel, to the people who worked on building it, the people who travelled on it, where it went and the impact on the places it went to.
So the exhibition honours local people from Bristol and the surrounding area who worked on the ship – including the five Johnson brothers who came from the Wye Valley with their father to work as shipwrights in the dock where the SS Great Britain still lies.
It will also tell the story of the 15,885 people who migrated to Australia on board the SS Great Britain, and the impact that had on the First Nations peoples of Australia. “The SS Great Britain made 32 round trips from Liverpool to Melbourne carrying 15,885 emigrants to Australia, completely changing the Australian continent and the lives of its First Nations inhabitants,” a museum spokesperson said.
“The displays will also tell the story of the first First Nations cricket team, established and coached by SS Great Britain passenger Charles Lawrence, which travelled to the UK and played 47 matches before the ‘Aboriginal Protection Act’ passed in Victoria, Australia, preventing First Nations people from travelling overseas,” he added.
And the exhibition will also tell the story of how the SS Great Britain went on to become a troop carrier, taking British soldiers to conflicts around the world, including the Crimean War in the 1850s and to quell a rebellion in Mumbai, India, in 1857.
“The exhibition space will support conversations with Bristol’s South Asian community, with reflections on the ship’s history and journey to Mumbai,” a spokesperson said.
James Boyd, the director of the Brunel Institute said the rebrand would better reflect the story of the SS Great Britain after it was launched, rather than its place as an engineering marvel.
“Bristol is a city shaped by global journeys, and so is the SS Great Britain,” he said. “We wanted the new museum to reflect not only the ship’s extraordinary international story, but also Bristol’s role in discovering and sharing those connections today.
Brunel’s SS Great Britain(Image: David Noton Photography)
“By working closely with communities across the city, we’ve been able to bring new perspectives, previously unheard voices and newly discovered histories into the heart of the museum. Creating an interactive space where people can connect, learn and discover together will help ensure these stories continue to be shared for generations to come,” he added.
Shani Whyte is a community researcher in Bristol who helped shape the transformation. “Working with the SS Great Britain has been one of the most inspiring parts of my life so far,” she said. “When I started with the pilot project five years ago, I never thought it would come this far. I am now one of the members of the community advisory group, the Boat Club, which has been vital in the design process of the new museum.
“Adding our thoughts, ideas and feelings has not only given us input into the build, but has increased inclusion within the organisation. A new space, the James W. Jones room, will connect community groups and individuals through research.
“We named this room after James W. Jones, a black man with an extraordinary story who sailed on the SS Great Britain. 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 added.