Brunel's ss Great Britain

PROFESSIONAL artist Lottie Sweeney is putting the finishing touches on Wednesday (July 23) to the new Crimean War horse display on board Brunel’s ss Great Britain. Visitors will discover how horses were transported by the ss Great Britain to the Crimean War in Russia in 1855. The newly recreated area is in addition to the ship’s First Class Dining Saloon and Promenade Deck, Steerage, Engine Room and Galley.

And to celebrate the new display, Brunel’s ss Great Britain has ‘recruited’ Crimean War soldier re-enactors and their family followers, in character and costume, over the weekend (July 26 and 27). Visitors will have the opportunity to talk to troops from the 19th Regiment of Foot in Steerage, the 11th Hussars cavalry regiment in the Forward Hold (beside the Crimean Horses display), and wives and camp followers from both units will roam throughout the ship. There will also be live rifle firing displays at 11.30am, 1.30pm and 3.30pm on both days.

During the voyage as a troop ship, the horse stalls would have been incredibly hot, and the air heavy with smells of horses, manure, hay and vinegar – used to help the horses combat feeling seasick.

Visitors can see a recreation of six horse stalls with soldier figures, three horses, ‘brought to life’ with the sound of horses neighing and the smell of stables… plus horse manure!

The display is inspired by the ss Great Britain’s first voyage as a Crimean troop ship in March 1855, from Queenstown, (now known as Cobh), County Cork, in Ireland, to Malta. The ss Great Britain carried 1,438 troops, 68 officers, six women, eight children and three horses.

At the weekend re-enactors will provide just some of the additional entertainment at Brunel’s ss Great Britain over the holidays. Other summer events include games on the Weather Deck, lessons in Victorian etiquette, Sinbad the ship’s cat trails for children, and of course the ever-popular Mr Brunel.

All events are included in admission, and tickets allow for FREE unlimited return visits for a year.*

Rhian Tritton, Director of Museum and Educational Services for the ss Great Britain Trust, commented: “Brunel’s ss Great Britain has so many different stories to tell – from the world’s first great ocean liner, to her salvage in 1970. This new display area within the lower deck, shows visitors how the ship was used as a troop carrier in the Crimean War.”

Ms Tritton added: “We are delighted with what has been achieved with the soldier figures, stables, horses, plus sounds and smells, and are looking forward to welcoming the troop re-enactors on board ship.”

The display has cost only £12,000 to complete, thanks to clever ‘re-cycling’. Visitors to Brunel’s ss Great Britain may recognise the horses – lovingly restored, repaired and re-painted – from the Bristol Industrial Museum.

Artist Lottie Sweeney has worked on a number of projects at Brunel’s ss Great Britain, which has including using paint to change the cow on the Weather Deck to an authentic 19th century breed.

Ms Sweeney, who is a Bristol-based artist, said: “I always enjoy the projects at Brunel’s ss Great Britain, and it is always amazing what can be achieved through a little imagination and lots of paint! The remarks I have had from visitors watching the work unfold, have been very positive.”

Fact file:

• During the Crimean War (1855-1856) Brunel’s ss Great Britain served the government as a troop transport ship, and was converted to be able to carry up to 1,650 troops and 30 horses.
• The Crimean War, also known in Russia as the Eastern War (March 1854–February 1856), was fought between the Russian Empire on one side and an alliance of France, the United Kingdom, the Kingdom of Sardinia, and the Ottoman Empire on the other. Most of the conflict took place on the Crimean Peninsula, with additional actions occurring in western Turkey, and the Baltic Sea region. The Crimean War is sometimes considered to be the first ‘modern’ conflict and introduced technical changes which affected the future course of warfare. It is also closely linked in popular culture and historic knowledge to ‘Lady of the Lamp’ Florence Nightingale and the Charge of the Light Brigade.
• The Crimean War was the last war that allowed British army wives to accompany their husbands. Women also made trips to the battlefields - ‘battlefield tourism’ – in their crinolines, and with their parasols, opera glasses and picnic baskets.
• Caring for 30 nauseous horses was no mean feat. Horses suffer from seasickness, but unable to vomit, they can become ill and even die. The soldiers would alleviate the suffering by sponging the horses’ nostrils with vinegar – a natural remedy for nausea.
• It is likely that the horses were hoisted on board ship in slings as is shown in the Illustrated London News – a Victorian publication which has helped to inform much of the ss Great Britain’s interpretation – or they were led up a gangway.

*Excludes schools, groups and venue hire guests.

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