Brunel's ss Great Britain celebrates exciting anniversaries in 2012

04/01/2012

Categories: Official press releases

Step back in time when you board Brunel’s ss Great Britain and experience the sights, sounds and smells of life on board for Victorian passengers. In 2012, Brunel's ss Great Britain celebrates three exciting anniversaries from 140th, 150th and 160th celebrations!

About Brunel's ss Great Britain

Brunel’s ss Great Britain is the ship which changed the world. Now at the heart of a multi award-winning visitor attraction and museum in Bristol, the ship revolutionised travel by sea. The ss Great Britain was the world’s first great ocean liner, offering a comfortable, speedy and safe voyage. She was the first ship to combine an iron hull, a propeller and steam power, and is the fore-runner of all modern shipping today. 

In total she circumnavigated the globe 32 times; her first voyage to New York, USA, was in 1846 and her last, towed on a pontoon from the Falkland Islands, was in 1970. 

Since a massive £11.3 million restoration and conservation programme, completed in 2005, Brunel’s ss Great Britain has received more than 20 national and international awards. The museum attraction holds the highest Michelin Travel Guide rating of three stars. Highlights of any visit include descending under the ship’s stunning glass ‘sea’, stepping back in time in the Dockyard Museum, and discovering the true stories of passengers and crew.

All England Cricket Team- 150th anniversary

The ss Great Britain carried the first ‘All England’ cricket team to tour Australia 150 years ago. Keeping fit proved a challenge, with rich cuisine, fine wines and little cricket practice, and exercise on the 64 day voyage limited to brisk walks, and playing quoits and other deck games. The cricketers’ first game on January 1 attracted a quarter of Melbourne’s population. The tour’s success was instrumental in sparking Australia’s passion for cricket.

Captain Gray's disappearance- 140th anniversary

The ship’s captains – especially Shetlander John Gray – were the international stars of their day. Respected and much loved by passengers and crew, the circumstances of his disappearance 140 years ago, in 1872, remain a mystery.

First voyage to Australia- 160th anniversary

Passengers and crew, mainly English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish, did include notable exceptions. In 1846 the ss Great Britain carried 48 girls, aged between six and 12 from Madame Weiss’s ‘Danseuses Viennoises’ a celebrated German dancing troupe; and Maltese seaman Giuzeppi Ruggier (also known as ‘Joe Rogers’) found fame as ‘The Hero’ of the Royal Charter, shipwrecked in 1859, before joining the ss Great Britain’s crew. Also Superintendent John Sadleir, who helped capture the internationally renowned Ned Kelly Gang, emigrated on board the ss Great Britain on her first voyage to Australia in 1852 – 160 years ago this summer. 

In total 15,000 passengers emigrated to Australia and New Zealand on the ss Great Britain, and it is estimated that their descendants number 500,000 today.

Other interesting information

Famous Victorians with links to the ship, in addition to her designer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, are:

• Prince Albert who launched the ship in 1843;
• Queen Victoria who praised the ship in her personal diary following her visit in 1845;
• Novelist Anthony Trollope travelled on the ss Great Britain to Australia in 1873, writing ‘Lady Anna’ on board. 

The ss Great Britain has retained her royal links. HRH The Duke of Edinburgh (Prince Philip) was on the ship’s deck when the ship returned to her original Bristol dry dock in 1970 following the epic salvage from the Falkland Islands; and HRH The Duke of York is the ss Great Britain Trust’s current Patron. 

Event highlights in 2012 include cricketing high jinks during the February half-term; Australian-themed celebrations for the summer holiday; Halloween will include a Captain Gray inspired ghost stories; and Christmas will be Victorian! Please see www.ssgreatbritain.org for further details (from mid November 2011). Admission allows for FREE unlimited return visits for a year, and includes events ranging from trails and re-enactors to workshops. 

In 2010 the ss Great Britain Trust, a registered charity which cares for the historic ship, opened its world-class Brunel Institute and National Brunel Archive in collaboration with the University of Bristol. 

Brunel’s ss Great Britain
Great Western Dockyard
Bristol
BS1 6TY
0117 926 0680
info@ssgreatbritain.org
www.ssgreatbritain.org

Opening times:

• From 10am
• Closing times (seasonal, see website)
• Last entry, one hour before closing
• Closed 2^nd Monday in January, December 24 and 25
• Ticket includes events, audio guides, and unlimited return visits for one year, with discounts available for ‘mini’ and ‘grandparent’ family tickets
• Under fives are FREE

Media may contact Jessica McDonald at jessica.mcdonald@destinationbristol.co.uk or +44(0)117 230 9461 for additional information.

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