Kicking-off the Year of Engineering 2018 with a glimpse of things to come!

News
25/01/2018

Local businesses have received an exclusive glimpse behind the doors of Being Brunel – the new national museum celebrating the life and legacy of Isambard Kingdom Brunel that will open to the public on 22 March 2018.


Arthur J Gallagher, Renishaw, Stannah, The Bristol Port Company, Wapping Wharf and Womble Bond Dickinson were treated to a preview as members of the Being Brunel Corporate Club, which was formed in 2015 to enable local companies to support the development of the new museum at Brunel’s SS Great Britain in Bristol.


Being Brunel will tell the hero engineer’s extraordinary story through never-before-seen personal possessions, as well as interactive exhibits and audio-visual experiences. The opening represents a major milestone for the city during the government’s UK-wide Year of Engineering 2018 campaign.


Chief executive of the SS Great Britain Trust, Matthew Tanner, explains:

“By sharing the incredible legacy of Isambard Kingdom Brunel we hope to inspire the next generation of innovators and encourage more young people into science, technology, engineering and maths careers. For this reason, the opening of the new museum is a perfect fit for the Year of Engineering 2018 - which also aims to increase understanding of engineering among young people.”


The new museum is expected to provide a huge boost to tourism in Bristol, which was recently named Museum Destination of the Year for 2018 in the Luxury Travel Guide Awards. Brunel’s SS Great Britain already brings around £10million of economic benefit into the city each year, and supports some 200 jobs.


The Being Brunel Corporate Club members met with the SS Great Britain Trust Chief Executive, Matthew Tanner, the Trust’s Head of Education, Rachel Roberts and Being Brunel Project Manager, Mike Day. They also had the opportunity to meet Nick Booth, Head of Collections, to view some of the latest acquisitions which will be on display in the new museum.


Being Brunel Project Manager, Mike Day, says:

“With the new building and renovations complete, the focus for Being Brunel is now on internal installations and ensuring we can deliver a truly immersive visitor experience. We are grateful to the members of the Being Brunel Corporate Club who have made a valuable contribution to making this new national museum a reality.”


Chris Pockett is from global engineering technologies company, Renishaw, which was the founding member of the Being Brunel Corporate Club in 2015. He says:

“We’ve just seen the Being Brunel museum for the first time and obviously it’s not finished yet – but in one word, fantastic! I can’t say too much about it as we’ve been sworn to secrecy, but I think people will be truly wowed by their experience – so we’re looking forward to the official opening in March.”