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The site of the launch ways of the SS Great Eastern is a scheduled ancient monument in Middlesex recording the infrastructure associated with the construction and launching of Isambard Kingdom Brunel's revolutionary iron steamship. The Great Eastern was built on the Thames at Millwall between 1854 and 1858, and the launch ways—consisting of the slipway structure and associated earthworks—represent the considerable engineering works required to position and launch this unprecedented 680-foot vessel. The ship's launch in 1858 was a significant technological achievement, though the process proved difficult and the launch ways themselves have largely been lost to subsequent industrial and urban development. The scheduled monument designation protects the archaeological remains and ground evidence of this important site in the history of maritime engineering and British industrial innovation.
Site of the launch ways of the SS Great Eastern is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1423608. View the official record →
The site of the launch ways of the SS Great Eastern is a scheduled ancient monument in Middlesex recording the infrastructure associated with the construction and launching of Isambard Kingdom Brunel's revolutionary iron steamship.
Site of the launch ways of the SS Great Eastern is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1423608.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Tudor naval storehouse at Convoys Wharf (0.4 km), Greenwich Hospital (RN College) (1.1 km), Greenwich Palace (1.2 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Site of the launch ways of the SS Great Eastern's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Site of the launch ways of the SS Great Eastern stands on Thanet Sand Formation, bedrock that formed in the Thanetian. The rock here is sand, silt and clay.