Collections policy
SS Great Britain

The aim of the collection of ss Great Britain Project. (hereafter "ssGB") is to enhance the public understanding and appreciation of the social, commercial, scientific, and technological context and significance of the ship ss Great Britain, of the manner of her construction, of the other ships, Great Western and Great Eastern, and of I.K.Brunel (and his collaborators) in his maritime related ventures.

ii. The existing collection of ss Great Britain Project Ltd. consists principally of the iron ship Great Britain, and her contents as recovered from the Falkland Islands in 1970. ssGB holds in addition a collection of objects acquired individually and which relate to I.K.Brunel or to Great Western, Great Britain, and Great Eastern. ssGB also holds an important archive collection, including personal letters and diaries relating to the ships and their journeys.

iii. ssGB is also responsible for the Great Western Dockyard and dry dock created for the purpose of building the ss Great Britain, along with the ancillary equipment and fittings relating to this dock and its surrounding industrial context. The conjunction of the original dock with the original ship is considered to be of particular significance.

iv. The object collection is currently divided for convenience into the following sections:
. The fabric of ss Great Britain
. Ships fittings and equipment
. Social history
. Commercial history
. Engineering and shipbuilding history .Great Western Dock history

v. The archive is currently divided into the following sections, of which only items in the first two appear in the Accession Register:
. Original manuscripts and typescripts
. Paintings and other illustrative material
. Reference library (of published material)
. Records of the restoration and conservation of Great Britain from 1970 to date

vi. No section of the collection, apart from the fabric of the ship herself, is considered to be comprehensive, and ssGB will seek to expand its existing collection on the basis of material relating to all aspects of the history or context of each ship and the dock, and the people involved with them in any capacity, for the whole of their working lives; (and in the case of the ss Great Britain, until her recovery in 1970.) ssGB will also seek to expand its existing collection to include material relating to the broad national and international context of the 19th century steamship upon which the ships impacted and from which they came., and of I.K.Brunel as marine engineer.

vii. Material may be acquired which relates to the contexts stated above, but not necessarily specifically to the ships, the dock, to I.K.Brunel, or to his colleagues or maritime related ventures. There will be an assumption against acquiring such material unless the governing body or the curator are satisfied that a good argument can be made for the acquisition. This restriction may be waived in the case of material held within a coherent collection, in which case the presumption will be to retain the collection together.

viii. ssGB will acquire material only where it can show that adequate resources are available for the proper curation, storage and/or display of the material, and for any professional conservation that may be necessary.

ix. There will be a presumption against acquisition of material outside the current Collecting and Disposal Policy, and such acquisitions will only be made in very exceptional circumstances, and only after proper consideration by the governing body, having regard to the interests of other museums.

x. ssGB acknowledges the interests of other institutions which may have responsibilities in the same or related areas; in particular the Universities in Bristol and Bath for their interest in Brunel related archives and engineering history, the National Maritime Museum with its overview of British maritime history, National Museums & Galleries on Merseyside for items relating to the various activities of the three Brunel ships in the Mersey and for emigration history in general, and the Bristol Museums and Art Gallery for their interest in matters associated with the history of the City of Bristol. ssGB will endeavour to avoid duplication of effort and waste of resources by seeking to establish good relations with these institutions.

xi. To that end it has been mutually agreed in principle that Bristol City Council is responsible for the history and development of the Port of Bristol, its shipping, shipbuilding, and the maritime hinterland connected therewith. It is not responsible for the ss Great Britain and the Great Western Dockyard

xii. It is also mutually agreed in principle that the ss Great Britain Project is responsible for the ss Great Britain, the Great Western Dockyard and the context relating to the construction of the ss Great Britain. It is also concerned with the broad national and international context of the 19th century steamship, and of I.K.Brunel as marine engineer. It is not responsible for the story of Bristol Docks, its maritime hinterland, and shipbuilding.

xiii. Where areas of common interest arise or overlap, then a presumption of notification and discussion between organizations will prevail.

xiv. The ssGB also reserves four areas within which it has placed its research aspirations. These are
. The Conservation of Iron -including chloride contamination, electrolytic treatments, and environmental or physical stabilisation
. Isambard Kingdom Brunel- particularly the study of BruneI as an innovative marine engineer
. The context of the 19th Century steamship -in particular the European Diaspora, the rise of international communications, and the development of steamship technology
. Maritime museum interpretation techniques -in particular studying methods of measuring and improving communication with museum visitors, and examining ways of adequately explaining the maritime context to visitors of all types.

xv. ssGB will not acquire, whether by purchase, gift, bequest, or exchange, any object or specimen unless the governing body and the curator is satisfied that ssGB can acquire a valid title to the item in question, and that in particular it has not been acquired in or exported from, its country of origin (or any intermediate country in which it may have been legally owned) in violation of that country's laws. (Including the United Kingdom).

xvi. So far as British or foreign archaeological antiquities (including excavated ceramics) are concerned, in addition to the safeguards above, ssGB will not acquire objects in any case where the governing body or the curator has reasonable cause to believe that the circumstances of their recovery involved the recent unscientific or intentional destruction or damage of ancient monuments or other known archaeological sites, or involved a failure to disclose the finds to the owner or occupier of the land, or to the proper authorities in the case of a possible Treasure Trove, or Bona Vacantia

xvii. ssGB will similarly adhere to the Resolutions of the International Congress of Maritime Museums of 1953 in regard to the acquisition of objects from underwater sites. ssGB will not acquire objects that have been removed either illegally, unscientifically, or from a commercially exploited site, since 1990.

xviii. A museum has by definition, a long-term purpose and must possess or intend to possess, a permanent collection in relation to its stated objectives. The governing body of ssGB accepts the principle that there is a strong presumption against the disposal of any items in its collection, except as below.

xix. In those cases where ssGB is legally free to dispose of an item, it is agreed that any decision to sell or otherwise dispose of material from the collections will be taken only after due consideration. Decisions to dispose of items will not be made with the principal aim of generating funds. Once a decision on an item has been taken, priority will be given to retaining the item within the public domain and with this in view it will be offered first, by exchange, gift or sale to registered museums before disposal to other interested individuals or organizations is considered.

xx. In cases where an arrangement for the exchange, gift, or sale of material is not being made with an individual registered museum, the museum community will be advised of the intention to dispose of material. This will normally be through an announcement in the Museums Association's Museums Journal and other professional journals, if appropriate. The announcement will indicate the number and nature of the specimens or objects involved, and the basis on which the material will be transferred to another institution. A period of at least two months will be allowed for an interest in acquiring the material to be expressed.

xxi. A decision to dispose of a specimen or object, whether by exchange, sale, gift, or destruction (in the case of an item too badly damaged or deteriorated to be of any use for the purposes of the collection), will be the responsibility of the governing body of ssGB acting on the advice of professional curatorial staff, and not of the curator of the collection acting alone. Full records will be kept of all such decisions and the items involved and proper arrangements made for the preservation and/or transfer, as appropriate, of the documentation relating to the items concerned, including photographic records where practicable.

xxii. Any monies received by the museum governing body from the disposal of items will be applied for the benefit of the collections. This normally means the purchase of further acquisitions but in exceptional cases improvements relating to the care of collections ma be justifiable. Advice on these cases may be sought from the Museums and Galleries Commission..

xxiii. This policy will be reviewed next before July 2004, and within every five years thereafter The Museums and Galleries Commission will be informed of any changes made to this policy, and possible implications that may follow for the collection.