Bristol Harbour Railway, The M Shed, Bristol, 12/02/17.

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Bristol, Bristol Harbour Railway, Industrial Heritage, M Shed, Museums, Portbury, steam locomotive, steam railways

“Portbury“, built by the Avonside Engine Company in 1917, steaming along the Bristol Harbour Railway towards the M Shed museum. According to the “working exhibits” section of the M Shed’s website:

“Portbury had a reputation for great strength and in her hey-day it was said that she could ‘pull a town down’. She also had a tendency to move off when unattended – a common problem with steam locomotives with worn parts. Thus she was usually parked between other engines in the Avonmouth shed“.

Thankfully, it looked like Portbury was under control as the locomotive reversed!

 

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Photo Archive: A Grand Day Out, Wallace and Gromit From the Drawing Board Exhibition, The M Shed, Bristol, 07/08/14.

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animation, Bristol, Film, films, Grand Day Out, M Shed, rocket, Wallace and Gromit, Wallace and Gromit from the drawing board, Wrong Trousers

Places and objects brought to me by the wonders of film and television do not always stand up to closer examination, but I always think of the day my sister took me to the M Shed’s “Wallace and Gromit from the drawing board” exhibition as the day I met Wallace and Gromit; the detail is incredible.

At the time I appeared to be more impressed with the view from the M Shed roof, which is or certainly was fully accessible at the time of my visit. I posted “The View from the M Shed Roof” back in 2014.

The View from The M Shed Roof, Prince’s Wharf, Bristol, 07/08/14.

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Boats, Bristol, Cranes, Fairbairn Steam Crane, Harbour, John King, M Shed, Merchant Navy, Museums, Prince's Wharf Bristol, Ships, Tall Ships, The Floating Harbour Bristol, The Matthew, tug, views

The M Shed, viewed from the other side of the Harbour.

The third floor of the M Shed, a museum dedicated to the story of Bristol and its “unique place in the world”, offers exceptional views of the Floating Harbour and various points of nautical interest. Here are some of the main points of interest; photographed on a remarkably sunny afternoon.

The Electric Cranes.

All four of the electric cranes lined on the harbour side.

40 cranes like these once worked the City Docks during Bristols 1950’s maritime hay day, but now only four remain. These cranes were a product of the Stothert & Pitt works in Bath.

Another view, featuring a tall ship on the other side of the Floating Harbour.

The Matthew. 

The replica of The Matthew.

It is difficult to believe that this ship is not even as old as I am; the ship being commissioned in 1994. The Matthew, captained by John Cabot, set sail from Bristol and across the Atlantic to find a new sea route to Asia, but bumped into Newfoundland instead.

The Fairbairn Steam Crane. 

 To quote the M Shed’s website, “The striking banana-shaped crane is the Fairbairn Steam crane, now the oldest surviving exhibit of its type in Britain and a Scheduled Ancient Monument“. The steam crane is also a product of the Stothert & Pitt works in Bath and, according to a certain on line encyclopaedia, it weighs in at 35 tons. You can also see two trains from the M Shed’s collection and I believe the one on the left is “Henbury”, built by Bristol based locomotive manufacturers Peckett & Sons in 1937.

John King.

Below right.

The tug, John King, was built in 1935 to tow cargo ships from the City Docks to the mouth of the River Avon.