Thursday 20^th June 2019

We had a late start to our day and, after breakfast, went for a walk around the harbour. My back was playing up again, we both felt tired and it was all we really fancied doing.

Bristol’s harbour is known as the “Floating Harbour”. Covering over 80 acres and 3½ miles from lock to lock, it was built in 1809 to provide a non-tidal, wet harbour, following the principle first used in Liverpool, with which Bristol was always in competition throughout the 17^th and 18^th centuries. The harbour was provided by a lock joining to the river at one end, and a feeder channel from the river, at the other. Thus keeping the harbour in water at any state of the tide and providing a level quayside. It was in commercial use until 1975, when the last cargo left the dock, although it is a wonder Bristol ever became as important and busy a port as it did due to the long awkward passage up the river. Today it is used exclusively for leisure activities.

We walked along the north side of the harbour, crossing to the opposite side at the river lock. Underfall Yard is an historic boat yard that still plies its trade and had a number of boats awaiting work and repair. Beside the yard is the surviving pump house that pumped water from the river into the “floating harbour” to help maintain its level. Passing the newly rejuvenated Baltic drydock, we passed the “Great Britain”, the M-shed museum with its attendant historic vessels, 35-ton steam crane and rail wagons before crossing Prince Street and Pero’s Bridge and heading across Millennium Square, returning to the boat. 

Underfall’s Yard and the Pump House

View across Bristol Harbour with Clifton and one of the Suspension Bridge Towers behind

There is a wealth of vessels in the harbour. As well as a multitude of different, permanently moored residential boats, narrowboats, wide-beams and Dutch barges, there are many historic boats. Apart from the Balmoral and HMS Minerva, there is a replica of John Cabot’s “Matthew” in which he discovered Newfoundland in 1497, a 1920’s fire boat and a number of old tugs, all of which run trips around the harbour. There are also many old small sailing ships and cargo-carrying barges and lighters.

                                              

                                                                                               m.v. Balmoral                                                                    

                                                                           Pride of Bristol ex HMS Minerva

     

            

                                                       John Cabot’s “Matthew”, 1920’s fire boat and older tug boats,

                                                                             all now providing harbour tours                                      

                                                                                         Busy Bristol Harbour

           

But the jewel of them all has to be Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s “Great Britain”. She was built in Bristol in 1845, of 3,400 ton displacement and providing accommodation for 120 crew and 360 passengers. She was by far the biggest vessel afloat and was revolutionary for her time, combining an iron hull with steam engines and a screw propeller, but also retaining no fewer than six masts. She was the first iron passenger steamer to cross the Atlantic in the time of 14 days.

  

   

s.s Great Britain

She had a chequered career. Her construction had gone well over budget which left the owners in financial difficulties. They were forced out of business in 1846 after their remaining funds were used to refloat the ship after she ran aground off Northern Ireland. In 1852 she was sold for salvage and repaired. She carried thousands of immigrants to Australia form 1852 until being converted to all-sail in 1881. Three years later, she was retired to the Falkland Islands, where she was used as a warehouse, quarantine ship and a coal hulk before being scuttled in 1937.

In 1970, she was raised, temporarily repaired, and towed back to Bristol where she was restored. Today, she lays in the same dock in which she was built and is a visitor attraction and museum attracting 150,000 to 200,000 visitors annually.

We walked back through the bars and restaurants around the St. Augustine Channel, and Millennium Square where we stopped for an ice-cream. The whole of Bristol’s harbour side is a very vibrant, busy and exciting place.

We dropped the dog off at the boat and sat outside in the bar just across the pontoon from the boat, very handy, and enjoyed hordes of people all enjoying themselves.

Weather: a lovely day.