The Great Western Dockyard © ss Great Britain

The ss Great Britain Trust has teamed up with a Bristol–based property developer, Linden Homes, to re-develop the dockyard buildings alongside Brunel’s ss Great Britain and to help secure the historic ship’s future.

Work on the development, which includes 145 apartments, as well as accommodation for a research library, archive and education centre is expected to start later this month (July 2007). Brunel’s ss Great Britain and the historic Great Western Dockyard will remain fully open to visitors throughout the works.

Planning permission for the £30 million scheme was granted by Bristol City Council in January 2007.

“We are all delighted that a Bristol firm is taking the scheme forward so promptly and that work is scheduled to start later this month,” said Matthew Tanner MBE, Director of the ss Great Britain Trust. “Trustees believe that this local company fully understands the importance of the scheme to the ss Great Britain, and to the people of Bristol.”

The Dockyard building facades. © Mandy Reynolds

The development, designed by local architects Stride Treglown, will recreate the character of the original Victorian dockyard, before it was destroyed during the Second World War.

Much of the ground floor of the development will be owned by the ss Great Britain Trust to house what will become the Brunel Institute. It will hold the Trust’s nationally important David MacGregor Library, a new state-of-the-art archive and academic teaching and research unit in a proposed partnership with the University of Bristol, and the Trust’s schools learning and outreach centre.

“This is not just another development scheme – this will provide a respectful and fitting backdrop to the ss Great Britain, as well as delivering a major fund for investment in the ship and the Trust’s future,” added Mr Tanner.

“Plans are already coming together for the Brunel Institute which is our opportunity to develop a first-class specialist archive and education centre, in a proposed partnership with the University of Bristol.”

The development is intended to recreate the character of the original Victorian dockyard. © ss Great Britain

The development is Phase 2 of the Trust’s vision to secure the long-term future of Brunel’s ss Great Britain as a maritime visitor attraction, museum and education centre.

Major conservation work on the ship – Phase 1 – was completed in July 2005, preserving her historic iron hull under a glass ‘sea’, and providing an innovative new visitor experience.

The move follows numerous award wins over the last 18 months, including ‘Large Visitor Attraction of the Year 2007’ in the Enjoy England Excellence Awards, ‘Best Industrial Museum in Europe 2007’ and the Gulbenkian Prize for ‘Museum of the Year 2006’.

Under the scheme, Brunel’s ss Great Britain will receive a capital fund that it will invest to help pay towards long-term conservation, maintenance and development for the Trust.

Apart from the urban regeneration of the area, an additional benefit is a fitting backdrop to the ship, more strongly reminiscent of the ‘Brunel’ landscape than the current semi-derelict warehousing.