Bristol History School Trips & Tours

Located in a 1950s transit shed, M Shed is a free museum that concentrates on over 2000 years of Bristol’s history. Thought-provoking and fun, M Shed challenges the perceptions of what it has meant to live here over the centuries through the recollections of the people who shaped the city.

Rich collections of objects, art and archives play an important part in bringing those stories to life and uncover Bristol’s trading past and its role in the transatlantic slave trade. 

M Shed is a living museum, where the stories of the past spark discussions about the future.

There’s so much to explore on the Second Floor of Bristol Museum & Art Gallery. From stunning paintings to one of the best collections of Chinese glass outside of Asia, we’re sure you’ll find something you love. Exhibits include: 

• French Art
• European Old Masters
• British and European Art (The Age of Enlightenment and the Birth of Romanticism)
• Modern and contemporary art
• Victorian Art
• Eastern Art
• Pottery, ceramics and glass
• Silver

Cabot Tower is situated in a public park on Brandon Hill, between the city centre, Clifton and Hotwells. It is a grade II listed building. The tower was built in the 1890s to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the journey of John Cabot from Bristol to land which later became Canada. Designed by the Bristol architect William Venn Gough and paid for by public subscription, the tower is built from red sandstone covered with cream Bath stone. 

Bristol Harbour is the harbour in the city of Bristol, England. The harbour covers an area of 70 acres. It has existed since the 13th century but was developed into its current form in the early 19th century by installing lock gates on a tidal stretch of the River Avon in the centre of the city and providing a tidal by-pass for the river. It is often called the Floating Harbour as the water level remains constant and it is not affected by the state of the tide on the river. 

Built in 1790 for John Pinney, a wealthy slave plantation owner and sugar merchant, the six storey townhouse that is the Georgian House Museum provides students with a fascinating look into the city hundreds of years ago.

The museum is especially significant to Bristol's history as it is where the enslaved African, Pero lived. Groups can get an insight into Pero's life (who was personal servant to John Pinney for 32 years) as well as visiting Pero's Bridge, the footbridge across Bristol's floating harbour that was named after him.

Led by an experience Blue Badge guide, this guided walking tour in the city is ideal for pupils studying Migration for their History GCSE (especially the Pearson Edexcel GCSE case study Bristol in the mid-twentieth century: the experiences of migrants and their impact on society’) and will cover the history of people coming to and departing from the city with concentration on the mid-twentieth century.

Bristol Ferry Boats are a fantastic choice for specialised tours to support curriculum at Key Stages 3 & 4. For history groups studying Migration, the Abolition Afloat trip will take your group around historic sights.  Students will learn about transatlantic slavery and abolition through stories from a Bristol ship’s boy and 11-year old Olaudah Equiano’s experience of kidnap and enslavement. They will also explore legacies of this history and celebrate those who fought for abolition.

The trip includes interactive commentary, audio recordings and classroom resources.