The last clipper
From carrying tea around the world to being admired in a specially created museum, Cutty Sark has come a long way. And a special creation by Grimshaw Architects gives Cutty a wonderful new home.
She sailed the seas as the last clipper to serve as a merchant vessel. Built in 1869, the Cutty Sark went on public display in 1954 after serving as a training ship. The clipper was preserved in dry dock at Greenwich, London where a fire damaged it on 21st May 2007. One of the most famous ships in the world, the Cutty Sark is the only surviving extreme clipper.
Having sailed around the world, under both the Red Ensign and the Portuguese flag, Cutty Sark touched every major port in the world. Her first voyage was from London to Shanghai via Cape of Good Hope. Though largely a tea clipper, her captain George Moodie describes her carrying ‘large amounts of wine, spirits and beer’ on the first voyage in the log.
Cutty Sark is also one of three surviving composite-built vessels. It has a wrought iron framework onto which teak and rock elm stakes are fastened. In the late nineties, it was found that the wrought iron was corroding and 50 years away from sea were having a terrible effect on her shape as she had started sagging under her own weight.
The Cutty Sark Conservation Project, an initiative of the Cutty Sark Trust, started in November 2006. The fire in 2007 was a major setback, pushing the re-opening date forward by 14 months to the spring of 2010. But surprisingly, the fire did not damage a large part of the original woodwork.
The aim of the Cutty Sark Trust is to conserve as much of the original ship as possible, rather than to replace or restore. So much so that upon completion of the project the ship will still be around 90% original! Treatment of the corroded metal frames and consolidation of wooden hull planks will guarantee that there is no further wear and tear of the structure. In addition, a new support structure will relieve the pressure on the keel and provide support around the hull.
The conservation of the ship is being undertaken by Grimshaw Architects in association with Youmeheshe. The idea is to lift the ship three meters above her current position in the berth, giving visitors a clear view of her hull. An enveloping glass bubble will be attached along the ship’s waterline and supporting struts provided. The space below the ship will be used for education facilities, a café and a shop. Using a combination of electrolysis, mechanical cleaning and preventive coatings, future degradation will be prevented.
Having sailed around the world, under both the Red Ensign and the Portuguese flag, Cutty Sark touched every major port in the world. Her first voyage was from London to Shanghai via Cape of Good Hope. Though largely a tea clipper, her captain George Moodie describes her carrying ‘large amounts of wine, spirits and beer’ on the first voyage in the log.
The Cutty Sark Conservation Project, an initiative of the Cutty Sark Trust, started in November 2006. The fire in 2007 was a major setback, pushing the re-opening date forward by 14 months to the spring of 2010. But surprisingly, the fire did not damage a large part of the original woodwork.
The aim of the Cutty Sark Trust is to conserve as much of the original ship as possible, rather than to replace or restore. So much so that upon completion of the project the ship will still be around 90% original! Treatment of the corroded metal frames and consolidation of wooden hull planks will guarantee that there is no further wear and tear of the structure. In addition, a new support structure will relieve the pressure on the keel and provide support around the hull.
The conservation of the ship is being undertaken by Grimshaw Architects in association with Youmeheshe. The idea is to lift the ship three meters above her current position in the berth, giving visitors a clear view of her hull. An enveloping glass bubble will be attached along the ship’s waterline and supporting struts provided. The space below the ship will be used for education facilities, a café and a shop. Using a combination of electrolysis, mechanical cleaning and preventive coatings, future degradation will be prevented.
Conservation efforts
- Specialized paint systems to protect ironwork
- Consolidation and removing of hull planks
- New support system to the hull
- Replacing keel, main deck, sheathing
- Glass canopy at waterline level to protect restored/conserved hull
- Replace false deck placed in the fifties with a ‘lily pad’ deck
- Providing a lift for better internal access
Cutty Sark Fact Sheet
| Designed by | : | Hercules Linton |
| Year | : | 1869 |
| At | : | Dumbarton, Scotland |
| Launched | : | 22nd November, 1869 by William Denny & Brothers |
| Completion of restoration | : | 2010 |
| Cost of restoration | : | £21 million |
| Architects | : | Grimshaw Architects and Youmeheshe |
MGS Architecture July August 2008
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