Maritime bonanza as Brunel Institute opens

Maritime Journal -

A world class library, archive and education centre known as the Brunel Institute officially opened its doors in the UK Port of Bristol just in time for the recent holiday season.

The Brunel Institute sits alongside Brunel’s ss Great Britain, the great Victorian engineer’s masterpiece and only surviving ship, now at the heart of a multi-award winning museum and visitor attraction. Admission to the Brunel Institute, which is also managed by the ss Great Britain Trust, is free of charge to all.

Staff and volunteers expect the Brunel Institute, with its National Brunel Archive and David MacGregor Library, to appeal to researchers and enthusiasts, those with a passion for the Brunel’s work and for maritime history, as well as to local residents.

Rare items include the engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s drawing instruments, his diaries, and photographs of the Clifton Suspension Bridge during its early build. An innovative collaboration with the University of Bristol sees the important Brunel holdings of that institution also joining the Institute to form the National Brunel Archive.

The Brunel Institute holds around 45,000 items, including 4,500 maritime, engineering and shipbuilding books, 2,000 ship plans, 100 ship models, 35,000 maritime photographs, passenger and crew diaries and letters, 50 films,  the Lloyd’s Register dating back to the 1700s, and the Illustrated London News.

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