Photos: mattbuck (category), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Photographed by Adrian Pingstone, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain Nortix08, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo credits
Photos: mattbuck (category), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Photographed by Adrian Pingstone, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain Nortix08, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
The SS Great Britain, seen from the dock
Your local guide
Ella Morgan
View profile
Highlights
- An iron hull in its original dock
- Brunel's pioneering steamship design
- A working life that spanned oceans
- Return to the dock it was built in
- Bristol's shipbuilding history explained
About this tour
This session looks at the SS Great Britain from the dockside rather than aboard, following Brunel's pioneering iron steamship from its launch to its long working life and eventual return. You see the hull from an angle most photographs do not use. I explain what set the ship apart from anything built before it.
We start with a sound check at the dock edge, then move along to the information plaques, pausing to take your questions about the ship's history. A short summary follows afterwards.
It suits anyone interested in engineering or maritime history. It also works as a shorter add-on to a longer harbourside session.
Included
- Live video walk with a local guide
- Questions to your guide all the way
- A short list of places to visit later
Not included
- Internet connection
- Travel to the city
Itinerary
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Welcome and sound check 5 min
The guide joins the video call, checks the picture and sound with you, and gives you a quick sense of Bristol before heading out.
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Dry dock view 21 min
You look down at the ship's iron hull from the dock edge, sitting in the exact spot where it was built and launched in 1843, and I explain what made its design so unusual for the time.
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Dockside plaques 21 min
Along the dockside I point out the markers explaining the ship's later years as a cargo vessel and a wreck before it was brought home and restored here.
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Your questions 9 min
Time to ask anything about Bristol: prices, safety, food, or whatever you are curious about.
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A short list to keep 4 min
Before you go, the guide sums up with a few things worth remembering: a dish to try: Bristol cider and Harbourside, worth a slower look.
Good to know
- A stable wifi or mobile connection makes the picture smoother than a shaky one.
- Any phone, tablet or laptop with a camera works. You watch, the guide does the walking.
- Times are shown in London time, so check the time where you are before you book.
- The session is not recorded, and recording it yourself is not allowed. Feel free to take your own notes.
- Ask questions any time, out loud or in the chat. The guide will pause to answer.
- Sessions run in small groups, up to 8 people, so there is room for everyone to ask something.
Questions about this tour
What will the session cover?
The guide walks through Bristol, showing you Dry dock view and Dockside plaques live on camera, plus whatever else you would like to see.
What happens if my connection drops?
Rejoin with the same link within a few minutes and the guide will catch you up on anything you missed.
Can I ask the guide questions during the session, or is it a fixed script?
Anything, any time. Sessions leave room for your own questions throughout, not just at the end.
Do I need to know the history already?
No background needed. The guide explains everything as it comes up.
How it works
- You get one join link after booking.
- Join from any device: phone, tablet or laptop.
- We connect on a video call at the dock edge, and I move along to the information plaques as we talk.
Times shown in London time (GMT)
Cancellation
Flexible
- Cancel up to 24 hours before the start: full refund.
- Cancel less than 24 hours before the start, or no-show: no refund.
- If the guide cancels or the date does not reach its minimum group: full refund.
- Cancel in My Account → Bookings; the refund is calculated from the start time in the tour's local time.
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Next: Thu 29 Oct · 8 seats left From 23,00 €
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