THE CUTTY SARK yesterday opened its doors to the paying public.
After the residents’ day, a starring role in the London Marathon and an opening ceremony attended by the Queen, it was finally a chance for the general public to see the transformation that has taken place.
On board, visitors can learn about Cutty Sark’s role in the tea trade, look up crew members from the archives, try to navigate from Australia to England and enjoy great views across London as well as look up to see eleven miles of rigging.
The iconic tea clipper, as has been well noted before, has now been raised by three metres, to create a new space below, called the Sammy Ofer Gallery, where there is the world’s largest collection of merchant navy figureheads and a new cafe.
I asked Richard Doughty, Director of the Cutty Sark Trust, what it is about Cutty Sark that captures people’s imagination:
From the day of the London Marathon