Being Brunel Museum

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Free with entry to SS Great Britain, is a fabulous exhibition. It explores the mind of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, arguably the world's greatest engineer. Housed right next to one of his most famous feats, the SS Great Britain, this exhibition brings together all manner of artefacts and experiences. Visitors of all ages have so much to see and do.




A centrepiece of the exhibition is a gigantic sculpture of Brunel's face. He is almost an icon in England and was always photographed or painted with an enormous cigar in his mouth. This is fitting because he was fixated by the concept of Industrial engineering, and all the smoke, fire and ingenuity that went with it. The exhibition seeks to reveal the whole man, rather than just his public, famous persona.



Several rooms of Brunel's London residence have been replicated at full scale, and visitors stroll through these, following a navigable one-way system. There are also many of Brunel's personal effects and belongings, which really bring him to life for the visitor.



A massive mural detailing Brunel's achievements is also on display. One of my favourite items was a series of pop up cards which Brunel fashioned to demonstrate to people what his creations would eventually look like. Below is the creation of a tunnel that he had dug beneath the Thames River in London.



Brunel was such a visionary, that he sought financial and logistical help himself. It is remarkable that the man was so heavily involved with almost every aspect of his engineering projects, be these tunnels, bridges, ships or machines.



A real highlight of the exhibit is a lifesize recreation of Brunel's Bristol office, with actors playing the part of Brunel's associates. He famously switched the propulsion system of the SS Great Britain from paddles to a propulsion screw (or propeller). This was decided well into the process of building the ship and was met with dismay from Brunel's financial ackers, who had already invested a fortune in the initial design.



An amusing exhibit shows the world of machines had Brunel not created and patented his propeller system. This man was a true genius, and the exhibit brings this across most assuredly. My favourite element was a series of drawings for Brunel's 'Vacuum tunnel'. This invention, which was never completed due to lack of funds, shows how ahead of his time Brunel really was. Another of his many achievements was the designing and building of the SS Great Britain. It was absolutely revolutionary at the time.

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