M Shed

M Shed stands beside Bristol’s Floating Harbour on Prince’s Wharf, a converted dockside transit shed that once housed the Bristol Industrial Museum. The building itself carries the port’s old shed-labelling system in its name. Inside, 3,000 objects and stories trace the city’s past, from its role in the slave trade to transport, people and the arts. The museum also includes a shop, learning space and café. The displays bring Bristol’s history to life through carefully chosen exhibits. Visitors see Nick Park’s Wallace and Gromit models, a 10-metre mural by local graffiti artists, and record decks painted pink by Massive Attack. A huge Window on Bristol mural shows the city’s buildings as a graffiti dinosaur. Temporary galleries host changing exhibitions throughout the year. The museum also holds aviation artefacts, including parts of the Bristol Brabazon and Rolls-Royce engines. Outside, the quayside offers working exhibits. Steam trains run on selected weekends along the Bristol Harbour Railway. Historic vessels include the 1934 fireboat Pyronaut, the 1861 steam tug Mayflower, and the diesel tug John King. Nearby cranes show the evolution of dockside technology, from a 1951 electrically powered crane to a restored 1878 Fairbairn steam crane. A replica of John Cabot’s ship The Matthew is usually moored close by.