M Shed

The M Shed is a fantastic free museum that offers a fascinating look into Bristol’s rich history. From the city’s industrial past to its cultural heritage, there’s so much to learn and explore. The exhibits are well-presented, engaging, and suitable for all ages. It’s a great way to spend a few hours and come away with a deeper appreciation for Bristol. Highly recommended for locals and visitors alike!

Neat museum, quite information-dense for its size, took me just about 1.5 hours to peruse all the galleries. A part of that is that the galleries aren't particularly laid out in a straightforward manner, unfortunately, so it can be fairly confusing to navigate within each gallery. Entry is free but donations suggested. The steam train runs on specific weekends, and is a nice ride along the waterside for £3.50 one-way or £5 return. It seems to run on a half-hourly basis starting from 11am.

Free admission. Came for a quick peek, ended up staying half a day. M Shed nails the balance between history and machinery: raw, unfiltered Bristol told through docks, cranes, buses, and grit. The working cargo crane outside was the highlight. Loved the underground sewage exhibit more than I probably should’ve. Don’t skip the upper floors: great panoramic views and a quieter vibe. Insider tip: visit midweek mornings to dodge the crowds, and check if the crane or steam train is running, they do demo days.

Wonderful museum about the history of Bristol. We visited to see the Rebel Curators' GRIOT interventions in the Bristol People gallery, in between checking out of our hotel and catching the train home. The team member we spoke to at the reception desk was extremely helpful, answering our questions and advising on what else to see as well as recommending the café for our lunch. Bristol People is a well thought out gallery, combining traditional displays about local history with a newer display about Bristol's radical history, including the Bristol Bus Boycott and the Colston statue. The GRIOT interventions form part of the display about Bristol's part in the enslavement of African people and use graphics to point out content that is offensive and harmful for people of Black African and Caribbean heritage and to suggest different ways of presenting the story of the slave trade. It's a really powerful display and I hope it influences future redisplay of this part of the gallery, or becomes more than a time limited intervention. We didn't have time to explore the Bristol Places gallery, bit we will definitely make a return visit next time we're in Bristol.

Fantastic free museum - thought provoking, interesting and fun. Some really important historic moments showcased in a unique and accessible way. Really well laid out, lots of areas to rest and a very nice gift shop. In a lovely location on the harbour, easy to get around. Would highly recommend it if you're in the area!

This was a fascinating museum to visit, delving into the cultural history of Bristol! Exhibits of items the working class had like masks and First Aid kits are on display, alongside Just Stop Oil and other reasons protests were held. The very statue of Edward Colston that was toppled remains here and his story is told as well as the reasons behind the toppling, giving a glimpse to both sides of the situation! Manufacturing is a focus from the wooden models of ships and clothing or textile companies with their logos shown, entertainment is dived into as cameras are kept here and the adaptation info about Wallace & Gromit in the city. Old food items can be seen as they would have in shop windows with the opportunity to even create a fake basket of one's groceries, development of different neighbourhoods through decades is touched on there's a model of Clifton handmade too. Multi coloured old buses are a grand sight outside under the cargo cranes live in operation, the passenger usage of the Harbour Railway then how it became only for freight is written out and it was marvellous to be able to walk up to the site seeing former freight carriages!

A must-see in Bristol! M Shed is a fantastic museum that tells the story of the city through powerful exhibits, personal stories, and interactive displays. From Bristol’s industrial past to its music scene and social history, it’s all here. The location by the harbourside is lovely, and the outdoor displays (like old cranes and boats) add so much character. Free entry, and lots to explore—highly recommended whether you’re a local or just visiting!

This museum holds a wondrous account of Bristols past, present and hopes for the future. It offers thought provoking conversation starters as well as a wealth of artifacts. It is a great place to learn about Bristol and offers something for all ages. The staff are friendly and helpful. Well worth a visit. It is free to visit but relies on donations to run.

This is a neat little museum that gives a high level overview on the history of Bristol. We stopped in to pass time before we had to catch our flight. Took about 30-40 mins of exploring. There were a lot of kids in the place but the exhibits are geared for all ages.

Great museum this- on the harbourside, which is always fun to wander around, it contains a lovely (and free) insight into Bristol and its history. I loved the double decker bus you can go onto, and the bomb shelters, complete with commentary from locals who'd had to use them. There are some good exhibitions here about local neighbourhoods, which might be slightly less interesting if you don't know them. Mshed is a good size to have a quick peek around, or to spend a bit more time with the exhibitions. There's a nice harbour view from upstairs, too. And you can buy Bristol things from the shop.

The m shed is a fantastic community resource and really showcases everything that's great about bristol, my city of which I am incredibly proud. It doesn't shy away from bristol's darker history either. It's brilliant for kids, really interactive with lots of things to touch, play with and do for children of all ages, my little girl is only 19 months and she loves running around, playing on the bus, looking out of the windows at the harbour side, playing in the little play shop and generally having lots of fun, I could spend a good couple of hours there with her. There is a very nice little cafe which sells a good selection of food and drink and refreshingly the food is really nutritious and healthy. The best thing about the M Shed is that it is free for everyone, I always make a donation as I leave though. I feel incredibly lucky to live in a wonderful city where we have so many fantastic places to take our children and the m shed is one of the best!

Having visited on Sunday and subsequently read the other reviews, I do feel that they were terribly harsh. Excellent location in Bristols groove-some dock area and a museum that was colourful, varied and, I felt, correctly showed Bristol as the vibrant city it so clearly is. Loved the photo galleries, the oak panelling from various old building and (Evil Dead fans!) a book made of human skin!!! I would happily recommend M Shed, I know exhibits aren't all in glass cabinets, in order and in line but, hey!, that's WHY we liked it

I have taken my family to the M Shed on a couple of occasions now. The first time, I did not think it would have been suitable for my children (aged 2 and 3), as I thought what is on display would be too grown up for them. However, as it is free to get in, it was worth a shot to get them all out of the house on a rainy Sunday! As it turns out, they found plenty to enjoy, even if they didn't understand it all fully. They were fascinated by getting on and off of the old bus, liked finding out more about the suspension bridge and liked listening in on all the telephones dotted around the place. While you save money on getting in, take note that you can end up spending a lot of of it in the cafe!