Beneath the glass sea
Descend under the iron hull in the dry dock, with real water rippling over a glass ceiling at the waterline.
You walk underwater without getting wet. That is the trick that sets the SS Great Britain apart from every other museum ship: she sits in the very dry dock where she was built in 1843, and at her waterline a glass ceiling carries a thin sheet of real water, so you descend a staircase and find yourself beneath the vast iron hull with light rippling overhead as if you were standing on the harbour floor. The air down there is kept deliberately desert-dry; without that, rust would have finished her off long ago. The ship is Isambard Kingdom Brunel's, and at her launch she was the largest passenger ship in the world and the first ocean liner to pair an iron hull with a screw propeller. What followed reads like a screenplay: close to thirty years carrying emigrants to Australia, then abandonment as a rusting hulk in the Falkland Islands, then a 1970 homecoming to Bristol on a floating pontoon to crowds lining the banks. On the upper decks the cabins, galley and engine room have been dressed as they were in Victorian days, complete with manufactured smells (bread, livestock, the latrines) that children find hilarious and adults find more convincing than they would like. The ticket also covers the Being Brunel museum next door, which is better than its name suggests: roughly an hour inside the head of the engineer who reshaped Britain, including a recreation of his Duke Street office in London furnished with his original belongings, and a railway carriage that simulates a train ride of his era. Go Aloft is a genuine harnessed climb up the rigging to around 25 metres, sold as a bundle at GBP 35 for an adult and open to ages 10 and over; it is not for everyone, but it is the finest view of Bristol's harbour. Allow two to three hours. The site is family-friendly in general, but the ship herself is all stairs and narrow passages, so pushchairs stay below and a baby carrier serves better. It works in the school summer holidays when British families pack the place, and works even better on a wet day because most of the experience is under cover. Closed Mondays, and a day ticket gives you free return entry for a full year, a real advantage for anyone spending weeks in Bristol.
Descend under the iron hull in the dry dock, with real water rippling over a glass ceiling at the waterline.
An hour inside the mind of the engineer who designed her, with a recreation of his London office and his original belongings, included in the ticket.
Climb the rigging in a harness for the best view over Bristol's harbour, bundled at GBP 35 for an adult, ages 10 and over.
Great Western Dockyard, Gas Ferry Road, Bristol BS1 6TY
The masts and stern show above the harbour path, but the exterior is not the point here; the real experience is walking under the hull in the dry dock and the Victorian decks inside, both behind the gate. If you only have time for a drive-by, take the view from the ferry and save the money.
The site overall yes, and children from about six upwards love the ship, the smells and the engine room. The ship herself is narrow stairs between decks, so the pushchair stays below and a baby carrier is the better choice. Cafe, toilets and baby-changing are in the visitor centre on dry land.