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Last week, I shared photos from the water and water front in Bristol and explained the phrase “ship-shape and Bristol fashion.” This week, the photos are from our main reason for visiting Bristol — the SS Great Britain, engineered by Isambard Kingdom Brunel with ground-breaking innovations when it was launched in 1843.

The SS Great Britain, now returned to the dry dock where it was built.

The ship is in dry dock, but there’s a transparent surface covered with water. From the top, that gives the illusion that the boat is floating. From underneath, well, it’s like being in a magical watery world.

The largest iron hull in the world in 1843.

Brunel built the Great Western Railway from London to the western shore of England. He thought of his steam ships as a continuation of the railway — a method to transport people and goods all the way to America.

The lower level of the steam engine

The SS Great Britain was a great place to learn a lot of world history. The ship operated in a variety of capacities from 1843 to 1937 and traveled around the world 32 times. I love how museums like this, featuring one thing, still manage to tell such a big story of the world.

More photos from Bristol on my Flickr photostream.