Archive Vault

The Brunel Institute is home to an internationally-renowned collection of maritime documents and objects.

The 80,000 objects, including the world’s finest collection of original resource material relating to Isambard Kingdom Brunel, are held in a state-of-the-art secure facility.

The Archive Vault has a carefully controlled environment. Every element is monitored, from the ambient temperature to lighting that only operates when someone enters the archive.

The collections can be used for study and research by maritime historians, Brunel enthusiasts and those interested in the SS Great Britain.

While all SS Great Britain Trust’s stored collections are available for the public to see on demand, visitors are not usually given access to the Archive Vault itself.

Objects are regularly brought out for visitors to enjoy as part of Conservation in Action and Archive in Five.