Experience a Victorian Christmas on board Brunel’s SS Great Britain

This December, visitors to Brunel’s SS Great Britain are invited to celebrate a very festive Victorian Christmas.

For just three weekends, the site will be transformed into a winter setting from the past, transporting visitors into the heart of a Victorian Christmas. Step back in time as you enter the historic dockyard, which will be dressed with traditional holly, ivy and mistletoe. There’ll even be falling snow for the festive season.

Snow is guaranteed aboard the SS Great Britain this December

If this isn’t enough to make you feel like you have stumbled onto the set of A Christmas Carol, you will also get to meet a cast of 19th century characters. Alongside the familiar faces of Mr Brunel (who will have a bit of Christmas makeover) and the other costumed characters, there will also be members of the Ragged Victorians living history group.

There are plenty of surprises on board, too. As you wander, take in the smells of marzipan and Christmas pudding and admire the traditional handmade decorations which adorn the saloons and cabins. An immersive soundscape will ring out throughout the ship, creating the atmosphere of a bustling voyage at Christmas time, with the voices of passengers from many lands.

The Ragged Victorians help create the Dickensian Christmas scene

Best of all, Brunel’s SS Great Britain will welcome a very special guest. For the first time ever, visitors will meet Old Father Christmas on site, dressed in green robes. This may seem at odds with the typical jolly red garb you’ve come to know and love, but did you know that for much of the 1800s, Old Father Christmas was very different from the figure we recognise today?

Old Father Christmas’s origins in England date back to ancient pre-Christian festive folklore, where an unnamed pagan figure, robed in a green hooded cloak and wearing a wreath of holly, would come to lift people’s spirits during the bleakest time of year.

The Victorian Old Father Christmas dressed in his traditional green garb

While the SS Great Britain was at sea, during the 1850s and 1860s, Christmas Trees were becoming popular. Also, Old Father Christmas was transforming from a figure associated with adult feasting, drinking and merriment, into a beloved giver of gifts for children.

It was not until the late part of the 19th century that he adopted the red suit popular for Santa Claus in America. Hence for much of the Victorian period, Old Father Christmas was often green.

So, when you step aboard the SS Great Britain this December, don’t be surprised if you encounter a Father Christmas who isn’t quite what you expected. Rest assured; he is no imposter. This is the Old Father Christmas as many Victorians (and Brunel himself!) would have recognised him.

The special festive celebrations will take place across just three weekends: 4-5, 11-12, 18-19 December. Buy tickets in advance to avoid missing out.