Gulbenkian Prize

Brunel's ss Great Britain wins Gulbenkian Prize

The SS Great Britain, the world's first great ocean liner, has won
the GBP100,000 Gulbenkian Prize
<URL:http://www.thegulbenkianprize.org.uk> for museums and galleries
in this, Brunel's bicentenary year.

The 35-year battle to preserve the world's first iron ocean-going
ship <URL:http://www.ssgreatbritain.org/history> culminated in her
triumphant re-launch in July last year. Now she sits in her
birthplace, Bristol's Great Western Dockyard, on a glass "sea" above
a giant dehumidification system, designed to halt the rampant
corrosion in her iron hull.

Icon, the Institute of Conservation <URL:http://www.icon.org.uk>,
congratulates the conservation team, including Robert Turner of Eura
Conservation and David Watkinson of Cardiff University.  Their
report on the underlying research has just been published in the
latest edition of  The Conservator.

Robert Winston, Chairman of the judges, said "Each of our four
short-listed museums and galleries could have been a deserving
winner but ss Great Britain got our unanimous vote for being
outstanding at every level. It combines a truly groundbreaking piece
of conservation, remarkable engineering and fascinating social
history plus a visually stunning ship above and below the water
line. Most importantly, the ss Great Britain is accessible and
highly engaging for people of all ages."

The Gulbenkian Prize is given annually to celebrate the innovative
and excellent work taking place in UK museums and galleries today
that is challenging traditional public perceptions of their role.


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 19:58
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