Day out to the SS Great Britain

Today is the first day back at school for both of my boys. That one week holiday seemed much longer. On one of those rare days when we all happened to be home in the day, we decided to go to Bristol. Our intention was to go to the brilliant @Bristol - a hands on science museum, but we couldn't even park anywhere near it. So, it was a happy accident that we ended up on the other side of the river at the SS Great Britain. This was my first visit in about ten years, and they have done a lot of work on it.

For me, one of the biggest changes was that it looked like it was floating in water. In actual fact it is some clever trickery which gives the illusion of being in water, when it is still in dry dock. We went into the dry dock and had a look at the hull, which is kept in really warm dry air to prevent {further} rusting.

From here, we went into a small museum before heading on board. The view from the deck of the coloured houses of Bristol is really lovely - what a treat. Below deck, there are various reconstructions of what it wouls have been like. You see the difference between classes when you peer into their cabins. The smells are quite realistic too, so you might want to hold your nose in some places {the bathrooms, the sick bay etc.!} 

Things to look out for: the line on the deck beyond which only first class passengers are allowed; the ship's surgeon at work; the horses working deep into the ship.

Love Mrs Jones x

PS. If you sign and keep your ticket you can visit again free within the year.