10 March 2026

Blog

Reader, welcome to the Dockyard Diaries

On 20 February 2026, we closed the doors on our Dockyard Museum to make way for a new exhibition which will form part of an expanded SS Great Britain Experience. This new museum – which docks in July 2026 – will bring to life the remarkable stories of the passengers and crew who travelled and worked aboard the SS Great Britain.

As we eagerly await the grand re-opening, scroll down to read our monthly behind-the-scenes updates. Expect news on the building renovations, conservation of artefacts, content exclusives from the new exhibition and updates on our major fundraising appeal, All Hands On Deck.

A brand-new museum experience will dock in July 2026 – save the date! In these monthly updates, we’ll be keeping track of developments across the trust to give you a behind the scenes look at what we’re up to on the countdown to the grand opening in July!

Having started on the 23rd of February, work has begun on the removal of objects and the moving of the mast as well as working on the content of the new museum including scanning ship replicas to be upscaled. And of course, we launched ‘All Hands-on Deck’ our new fundraising initiative to get Bristol involved in raising the final £180,000 in the next six weeks!

Support the SS Great Britain Experience and be part of the new museum transformation!

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