Cutty Sark has travelled across the world, sailing under both the Red Ensign and the Portuguese flag, visiting every major port in the world through the course of her working life. In admiration of her beauty and in recognition of her fame, she was preserved for the nation by Captain Wilfred Dowman in 1922. Since then, the old clipper has been berthed in Falmouth and Greenhithe, finally arriving at her current resting place in Greenwich in 1954.
Construction
On the afternoon of Monday 22 November 1869, a beautiful little clipper ship of 963 tons gross was launched at Dumbarton on the River Leven. On that day, she was given a name that was to become renowned throughout the seafaring world.
Cutty Sark was built for John ‘Jock’ Willis, a seasoned sailing ship master who had taken over his father’s firm of ship owners in the port of London. Here he became better known as “White Hat Willis” because he always wore a white top hat. His ambition was for Cutty Sark to be the fastest ship in the annual race to bring home the first of the new season’s tea from China.
The ship was designed by Hercules Linton, a partner in the Dumbarton firm of Scott & Linton. It is believed that he moulded the bowlines of Willis’s earlier vessel the Tweed into the midship attributes of Firth of Forth fishing boats, creating a beautiful new hull shape that was stronger, could take more sail, and be driven harder than any other.
The company had never built a ship of this size before and ran into financial difficulties, eventually going bankrupt before the ship was completed. The final details of the fitting out had to be completed by William Denny & Brothers, Scott & Linton’s landlords and the guarantors for the completion of the work on the original contract.
The ship was towed to Greenock for final work on her masts and rigging. She was then brought to London to load her first cargo for China.
Cutty Sark is 280ft (85.4m) long overall and her beam measures 36ft (11m). Her moulded depth is 22.5ft (6.7m) and the height of the main mast from the main deck to the top is 152ft. Find out more in our facts and figures page.
History of fabric
Cutty Sark was a working cargo ship, enduring high seas and heavy weather, from 1869 until 1922. Throughout her working life, numerous repairs and alterations were carried out to the vessel to ensure she continued to perform her function effectively and safely.
Even after she ceased being a working vessel, modifications were made to the ship, for example to facilitate visitor access when she came to Greenwich in the 1950s.
1870-78: The China Tea Years
On 16 February 1870, Cutty Sark left London bound for Shanghai, via the Cape of Good Hope, on her first voyage. Commanded by Captain George Moodie, she carried “large amounts of wine, spirits and beer” (Captain’s abstract log). The arrival of the ship at Shanghai, with “manufactured goods”, is listed in The North China Herald of 2 June 1870. Departing with around 1,305,812 lbs of tea of tea on 25 June, she arrived back in London on 13 October 1870.
This is the first of eight voyages the ship successfully made to China in pursuit of tea. However, Cutty Sark never became the fastest ship on the tea trade. Dogged by bad winds and misfortune, she never lived up to the high expectations of her owner during these years. The closest the ship came to winning the tea race was in 1872, when she had the opportunity to race rival clipper ship Thermopylae head-to-head for the first time.
After arriving at Shanghai in late May 1872, she met Thermopylae when loading her tea cargo. With both sailing from Woosung on 17 June 1872, the two ships closely matched each other through the China Sea and into the Indian Ocean. By 7 August, and with a good tail wind, Cutty Sark found herself a good 400 miles ahead of Thermopylae. On 15 August, disaster struck when Cutty Sark’s rudder gave way. After reconstructing the rudder twice in heavy seas, the ship arrived back at London on 19 October, around 7 days after her rival. The courage and determination of Captain Moodie and his crew won Cutty Sark great credit, but Moodie retired from his command of the ship due to stress. The ship was never to get this close to winning the tea race again.
Find out more about Cutty Sark here
Listing Details
- Address: King William Walk, London, SE10 9HT
- Phone: 020 8312 6608
- Website: http://www.rmg.co.uk/cuttysark
- Email: rmgenquiries@rmg.co.uk
- Get there by bus: 53, 188, 199, 202 and 286
- Get there by tube/train: DLR, Jubilee or Northern Lines
- Wheelchair access: Yes
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Additional information:
Wheelchair spaces limited to 3 visitors at a time.
Cutty Sark
For safety reasons, wheelchair spaces for Cutty Sark are limited to three visitors at any one time.
The original ship structure restricts the size of the lift on board, therefore mobility scooters cannot be accommodated on Cutty Sark. Manual wheelchairs and most powered wheelchairs can access the ship: please note that the lift dimensions are 1100mm wide x 1480mm deep. Manual wheelchairs can be pre-booked before your visit.
The Master’s Saloon, cabins and anchor deck are not wheelchair accessible, but virtual access is provided to these spaces. Lifts offer access to all other areas of the ship, including the Main Deck as well as the Sammy Ofer Gallery beneath the ship.
Please also be aware there are steps and gradients in Cutty Sark Gardens on the approach to the ship. There is a step-free route from King William Walk and Greenwich Pier.
There are limited parking spaces in Greenwich town centre which can be used by visitors displaying a blue badge: see Blue Badge parking scheme for disabled people.
Opening Times
- Monday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
- Tuesday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
- Wednesday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
- Thursday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
- Friday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
- Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
- Sunday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
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