ShipSpace facts for kids
ShipSpace was a cool museum in Inverness, Scotland. It was all about ships and the sea! The museum was located right next to the historic Caledonian Canal. One of its biggest attractions was a huge model of the famous ship, the Titanic.
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Exploring ShipSpace Museum
ShipSpace was an interactive museum. This means you could touch and learn from the exhibits. It was located in the Muirtown Basin area of Inverness. This area is known for its history with boats and canals.
Inside the Museum
Inside the main museum building, there were many interesting things to see. You could find interactive displays and lots of photos. There were also posters and information about different ships. A special film played that showed divers exploring the real sunken Titanic.
Amazing Outdoor Exhibits
Outside the museum, there were even more exciting things to discover.
The Giant Titanic Model
The biggest outdoor exhibit was a huge model of the Titanic. It was 1:10 scale, meaning it was one-tenth the size of the real ship! You could go inside this model. It had three special rooms:
- A fancy café designed like ones in Paris.
- A copy of the ship's bridge, where the captain steered.
- A Marconi radio room, just like where messages were sent from the ship.
Other Cool Boats and Submarines
Besides the Titanic model, other interesting exhibits outside included:
- A copy of the Nautile submarine. This mini-sub was one of the vehicles that dove deep down to explore the real Titanic wreck.
- The Guiding Star, a real fishing boat. It was used for catching crabs and lobsters. This boat was the very last one built at the Thornbush slipway in Inverness.
- A full-size copy of the Star of Hope. This was a type of fishing boat called a herring drifter. It was the first one from Buckie, a town famous for fishing.
- A large 45-foot RNLI Watson-class lifeboat. These boats are used to rescue people at sea.
Museum Building History
The museum was in a building on the east side of the canal. This building was made to look like the original west building. That older building used to be a toll house. A toll house was where people paid money to use a road or canal. The two buildings were separated by a walkway.
Why ShipSpace Closed
ShipSpace museum sadly closed its doors for good in April 2018. It closed after the owner and curator, Stan Fraser, passed away.
