Historic Dockyard
Where Brunel’s biggest ideas took hold.
SUSPEND ALL DISBELIEF
The SS Great Britain might take centre stage, but the famed Victorian dockyard surrounding it certainly doesn’t hide in the shadows. Historic cranes ferrying cargo, masts ready for their next adventure and incredible views paint an incredible idea of what life was like 200 years ago.
It’s not hard to imagine the picture. Hundreds of shipbuilders, makers and engineers working a monumental shift. Great engines firing into life. Brunel and his design team keeping a keen eye over operations. You are literally following in the footsteps of the people who created history.
The Historic Dockyard is open daily from 11am – 4pm.
Your entry, and a year’s access, is included in the admission for Bristol Dockyards.
PICK YOUR FIRST PORT OF CALL
With so much to cover at the Dockyards, it’s nice to take a break. We recommend the occasional break to give yourselves time to take it all in and, with harbourside views and covered picnic areas, nowhere’s better to perch than Rigger’s Yard.
From a historic dock to a working one, the Albion is a vast Grade II-listed facility that’s been building and maintaining ships for decades. If you’re lucky, you might even catch one being worked on.
A calm space amid the bustle, the Riggers’ Yard is home to the SS Great Britain’s towering mainmast and foremast. Which is even more impressive when you consider the journeys they’ve been on.
At the base of the SS Great Britain, the dock’s shimmering glass “sea” reveals the full iron hull below the rippling waterline. A view that brings Brunel’s engineering brilliance into sharp focus.
THIS DOCK’S GOT THE LOT
See the dockyards in a whole new light with events that transform the space into something unexpected.