The ss Great Britain was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel and built in 1843 at the Great Western Dockyard in Bristol. She was built to serve the growing transatlantic passenger trade between England and the United States. The ship was unique at the time in terms of its construction and size. She was the first propeller driven, ocean going, iron wrought ship in the world, also coming in at 100 feet longer than any of her rivals. At the time many sceptics believed that a metal ship on such a scale would not be able to float. However, they were proved wrong and the ss Great Britain made her maiden voyage to New York in 1845, taking just 14 days to complete the journey. The ss Great Britain was a ship for the wealthy with early fares of between 20-28 guineas, equivalent to £3,000 today. The ship was renowned for its opulent interiors with artwork, gold leaf decorations and mod cons which were unrivalled by other ships of her day. Today Brunel's ship is seen a hugely important Victorian engineering achievement which was a forerunner of modern ships. | 
