Bristol Museums has been collecting material to reflect Bristol’s industrial and maritime past since its earliest days, but it wasn’t until the 1960s that a dedicated curator was appointed. The collection now numbers over 10,000 objects and over 60,000 photographs.
The majority of these are housed in the store adjacent to M Shed, which can be seen on regular tours. Individual items can be seen by appointment.
Much of Bristol’s wealth was provided by a few select industries such as printing, engineering and tobacco, and its role as a major port for incoming goods, but there were very many smaller industries at work. At one time, the city boasted 300 separate trades, and the Industrial & Maritime History collection contains material from many of them.
The collection is rich in transport-related items, many constructed in the city, supported by an archive of drawings and plans, publicity and maintenance brochures and photographs. Particularly important are the Lord Mayor of Bristol’s state coach, the oldest surviving Bailey caravan, Bristol bus chassis from the 1920s and 1970s, a half model of Brunel’s first ship Great Western, 18th century models of ships built in Bristol, the mock-up of a Concorde cockpit used during its development, and parts of the ill-fated Bristol Brabazon aircraft.
Notable large collections include the Wills Collection of Tobacco Antiquities, put together by the company and including their Guard Books of over 100,000 tobacco packages; the York and Keen and the Port of Bristol’s collections of shipping photographs, documenting the city’s trading past from about 1870 to 1980; and the Berger/Hall collection of paint samples, including early cans of Brolac, the first ready-to-use house paint.
On most weekends, the working exhibits are brought to life for trips and visits by our fantastic team of volunteers. Head over to the what’s on listings to find out when the next dates are. Built by Stothert & Pitt in Bath, these four cranes – the biggest objects in the whole of our collections – are […]
Built in the 1950s, the cranes have borne witness to over a half century of change to the area and offer a tangible link to Bristol’s industrial and maritime history. Bristol city docks Far from the cultural and leisure destination it is today, the Harbourside of the 1950s was a bustling port trading with the […]
The early development of the Bristol Harbour Railway (Temple Meads to Wapping Wharf) Why the railway was needed Despite Bristol being a maritime city, there was no rail connection between Temple Meads and the City Docks until the opening of the Bristol Harbour Railway in 1872. For many years, interested parties campaigned for a rail […]
