M Shed facts for kids
.jpg) |
|
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
| Established | 2011 |
|---|---|
| Location | Princes Wharf, Wapping Road, Bristol BS1 4RN, England, United Kingdom |
| Visitors | 769,474 (2018/19) |
M Shed is an exciting museum in Bristol, England. It's located on Prince's Wharf right next to the city's Floating Harbour. The museum is in an old dockside building that used to be a storage shed. Its name, M Shed, comes from how the port used to label its different sheds.
This museum is home to over 3,000 amazing items and stories. It shows Bristol's history, including its role in the slave trade. You can also learn about transport, the people of Bristol, and the city's art. The best part is, admission to M Shed is free!
The museum first opened its doors in June 2011. It quickly became very popular. In its first year, about 700,000 people came to visit.
Right outside the museum, you'll often see a collection of historic ships. These include an old fireboat from 1934 called the Pyronaut. There are also two tugboats: Mayflower, which is the world's oldest steam tug, and John King, a diesel tug from 1935. You might also spot a replica of the caravel The Matthew. This was the ship that sailed across the Atlantic with John Cabot way back in 1497.
Inside M Shed, you'll find a gift shop where you can buy souvenirs. There's also a special learning space for school groups and workshops. If you get hungry, there's a café too!
Contents
Bristol's History and Heritage
The Museum's Story
The M Shed building used to be the Bristol Industrial Museum. It closed in 2006 to be completely changed. The new design was created by Lab Architecture Studio. The project cost about £27 million. This included a big grant of £11.3 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The museum officially reopened in June 2011. It quickly became a popular spot, with 700,000 visitors in its first year.
Historic Cranes and Trains
Outside the museum, on the quayside, you can see four large electric cranes. These were built in 1951. Three of these cranes still work today! They are sometimes operated on weekends, which is a cool sight.
A little further west, there's an even older crane. This is a Fairbairn steam crane from 1878. It's the only working one of its kind left. This crane was used regularly until 1973 to load and unload ships. It could lift very heavy items, up to 35 tons! This historic crane has been fixed up and still works. You can sometimes see it in action on holidays and during the Bristol Harbour Festival.
The Bristol Harbour Railway also offers fun train rides. These rides go along the quayside on certain weekends. They use old steam locomotives and railway cars that have been restored.
The Edward Colston Statue
In June 2021, a statue of a slave trader named Edward Colston was put on display at M Shed. This statue had been removed from its original spot in 2020. The museum decided to display it to encourage people to talk about Bristol's history. It aimed to start a city-wide conversation about the statue's future.
Exploring the Galleries
Main Exhibition Areas
M Shed has three main galleries. These are called Bristol Places, Bristol People, and Bristol Life. Each gallery tells a different part of the city's story. They use a mix of objects, videos, and interactive displays.
Amazing Exhibits to See
Among the 3,000 items on display, you can find some really cool things. There are models of Nick Park's famous animated characters, Wallace and Gromit. You can also see a huge 10-meter-long mural. This mural was painted by local graffiti artists.
Another interesting item is a pair of pink spray-painted record decks from the 1980s. These belonged to Massive Attack, a famous music group from Bristol. Their unique sound helped create Bristol's club music scene in the 1980s and 1990s.
The museum also shows newspaper clippings from important moments in Bristol's history. One example is the story of the Bristol Bus Boycott in 1963. This was a victory against unfair treatment. A group of West Indian workers led a boycott after the Bristol Omnibus Company refused to hire Black workers.
A central part of the galleries is a giant mural called Window on Bristol. Local artists Andy Council and Luke Palmer painted it. It shows Bristol's buildings in the shape of a huge, graffiti-style dinosaur!
Temporary Exhibitions
Besides the main galleries, M Shed also has a temporary gallery. This space features different exhibitions throughout the year. So, there's always something new to see!
Aviation History
The museum also has exhibits about aviation. You can see a Mignet HM.14 aircraft. There's also a piece of the Bristol Brabazon, a very large airplane. Other exhibits include models and parts of famous engines, like a one-third scale model of a Rolls-Royce Pegasus engine. You can also see a Rolls-Royce/Snecma Olympus 593 engine and a Bristol Proteus Mk.255 engine.
