Are there any museums or sites in England honouring Isambard Kingdom Brunel?
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- Aparna Patel
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- 19 Jul, 2023
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In Swindon, you can find the museum of the Great Western Railway of whom Brunel was a chief engineer. As well as the story of the railway itself, it tells the story of how society thanks to the railway, and of Brunel’s key role in the whole enterprise.
There’s also the worlds oldest Wrought Iron railway bridge still in use: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windsor_Railway_Bridge
@jl6’s point in the comments is a good one, but deserves to be expanded upon (Brunel has been adopted as a local hero in Bristol). He’s one of the few historical figures we’ve got who didn’t directly get rich from the slave trade). See for example Isambard Kingdom Brunel, famous engineer and his work at Bristol (local tourism/history site) for a few more things to spot on the way between the main sites. The bridge has a visitor centre/small museum and tours, but unfortunately the limited tours of the vaults below the tower are mostly sold out this year.
Some of the best views of the bridge are from the western tip of Spike Island, only a mile on foot from the SS Great Britain. Trains from London via Bath bring you into Brunel’s Temple Meads station along Brunel’s GWR, but you may want to take stopping services to see some of the key features along the way.
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In terms of a comprehensive museum, not yet.
However, if you are travelling in 2018 (or reading this reply in the future) then there will be a new museum called ‘Being Brunel: the national Brunel project’ opening in Bristol in a year’s time.
The ss Great Britain Trust has today been awarded £4.78m by the
Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for Being Brunel: the national Brunel
project. The new museum, set to open in Bristol early 2018, will
celebrate and explore Brunel, one of the world’s greatest engineers
and designers.The attraction will feature galleries and interactive experiences set
in reconstructed buildings that reflect the original Victorian
waterfront panorama. Brunel’s Drawing Office, a Grade II listed
building, will be restored to become part of the new museum. Link
You can read more about the project here: http://www.ssgreatbritain.org/about-us/being-brunel
You can see what items of the Science Museum’s collection are on display, and in which museums, using their collection search. Putting in “Brunel” gets a few results, presumably as part of exhibits that discuss the man further.
Very near the site of the “Oldest Tunnel in the Oldest Underground in the World”, in Rotherhithe in south east London, you can find the Brunel Museum, which, well, is not just ‘a display’ about his life and works, but an entire museum about his life and works.
The Brunel Museum is open every day 10:00 until 17:00.
[…]
Entry to the Brunel Museum is £6 and £4 for concessions. Children
under 16 accompanied by parent or carer enter free of charge. Entry to
Great Eastern launch ramps is free.Brunel Museum Railway Avenue Rotherhithe London, SE16 4LF
Telephone: +44 20 7231 3840 Email: [email protected]
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