M Shed - Bristol's museum of itself
M Shed: free museum of Bristol's own history, on the Harbourside. Working dockside cranes, a 1940s tram, the Banksy Grim Reaper, and a frank slave-trade.
M Shed occupies a 1950s transit shed on Princes Wharf, overlooking the Floating Harbour. It is the Bristol Museums service’s dedicated site for the history of the city itself, free to enter, and one of the most consistently recommended rainy-day options in town.
Cost
Free. Donations welcomed.
What to see
Three permanent galleries - People, Places, Life - covering the city from prehistory to last week. The upstairs gallery on the transatlantic slave trade is specific, uncompromising and entirely necessary. The Banksy Grim Reaper, originally painted on the side of the Thekla, is preserved inside as an exhibit.
Outside on the dockside: three working electric cranes (heritage listed, occasionally operated), a 1940s tram, and the preserved steam tug John King, free to board on open days.
When to visit
Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 - 17:00. Closed Mondays (except bank holidays).
Access
Fully step-free. Accessible toilets on the ground floor, lift to the first floor. Large-print guides available at the front desk.
Nearest stop on the Bristol Insight circuit: Stop 04 - Spike Island, five minutes’ walk along the quayside.