The SS Great Britain: Working in Collaboration for Preservation

21st November 2024 | News, Blog Posts

Having worked collaboratively with the SS Great Britain Trust for over 25 years, we were thrilled to have been awarded the role of replacing the ship’s iconic weather deck.

The existing deck had been in place for 30 years and was showing the signs of real wear and tear from the hundreds of thousands of visitors that have walked its boards in that time. Not only was this creating more and more work in small fixes for the SS Great Britain Trust’s maintenance team in order to keep it safe for visitors, but there was concern about water ingress and the effect this could have on the rest of the ship. In particular, the 180-year-old iron hull that is kept in a carefully controlled environment to preserve and protect it from rust.

The Trust required a partner that was prepared to work in a constantly ‘live’ environment and embrace their approach of ‘conservation in action’, ensuring visitors were able to view the preservation work in real time. The site had extremely limited access and the chosen contractor needed to be prepared to work within its constraints. It was of prime importance to the Trust the job was completed within a tight timeframe to ensure as little disruption to the living exhibition as possible. Preservation of the ship relies on the income made through visitors to the attraction and some external funding. Beyond these requirements, the Trust wanted a construction partner they could collaborate with. It was an honour for John Perkins Construction to be chosen for this project and we were committed to delivering on all of the Trust’s requirements.

In order to maintain a ‘live’ environment and keep the attraction open throughout the duration of the works, JPC split the project into 6 sections. Each section would be completed and re-opened to the public before the next was started.

We installed standard crowd barriers to cordon off the site sections to ensure visitors were able to watch the work taking place. JPC collaborated with the Trust to produce a video about the refurbishment which visitors could view via a QR code, to educate them on the works that were being completed and their importance to the preservation of the exhibition. JPC and the Trust also worked together to organize a number of ‘on deck’ talks for local community groups and school visits, allowing as many people as possible to feel involved in the conservation efforts.

Work commenced on the first section in December 2023 with a board raising ceremony, which began the work of removing the existing decking.

Once the removal had been completed the team were able to assess the steel deck below, which acts as the ship’s roof and protects the iron hull from water ingress.

The steel was then cleaned, removing any rust, and maintenance was completed to prepare it for application of the specialist epoxy. At this stage new fixing plates for the timber decking were also fitted.

Each section then had the first of two coats of specialist epoxy resin applied. In principle this should have been a simple process, however the epoxy could not be applied in temperatures below 5°C and would not cure properly in temperatures over 20°C. This caused challenges throughout due to the exposed nature of the site, which was too large to cover, and the dramatic weather seen in those months. The team battled on and with good communication between JPC and the Trust, the job continued to run smoothly.

Once the two coats of epoxy on each section had cured the new timber decking was laid, drilled and fixed into the new steel plates. The fixing holes were t

hen filled with Accoya pellets, and the boards were finished with caulking. The application of the caulk also caused some delays as it could not be applied in wet/damp conditions. JPC sought the expertise of Neil Endicott and his skilled tradespeople at Endicott Carpentry to lay the timber decking as we needed a specialist to ensure it was aligned and regimented over the entirety of the ship’s large deck.

We were also tasked with the refurbishment and installation of the components on deck, such as handrails around the lantern and the ship’s bell.

Although this project faced some severe challenges with weather over the Winter months, which put the project completion back by a number of weeks, by working together with a ‘One Team’ approach, the Trust and JPC ultimately completed all work with only about a 3-to-4-week delay to the original finish date. This allowed for an end of summer celebration of the deck’s completion planned by the SSGB and JPC team.

A point of pride for this project is the fact that 100% of the removed ship’s decking was recycled, with a large percentage of it being crafted into keepsakes by local artisans to be purchased from the ship’s gift shop, helping to fund future preservation work.

The choice of the Accoya timber which replaced it was also a careful choice. The SS Great Britain Trust has high standards of conservation and authenticity. In terms of performance the ideal timber for a ship’s deck would be a tropical hardwood, these are not sustainable, however.  So, the option of a slow grown softwood was selected, Accoya, which has gone through a treatment process to give it the properties of a hardwood.

The Accoya offers excellent durability, is sustainable and will present similarly to the original decking (yellow pine) and will last 50 years. It was also sourced from a Bristol based Timber Yard.

This project could not have been delivered so successfully had it not been for the ‘One Team’ approach. We invested in this fully, down to creating bespoke high vis jackets for every member of the site team, whether it was for JPC or Trust staff to wear. This relationship continued to flourish even after the project was completed with a joint presentation at the NFB Heritage Conference in London.

Tags: Heritage, News, Blog, Ship