Cutty Sark has been named best new tourism project in the UK at the 2012 British Guild of Travel Writers Awards. The awards were announced last night at an event at the Savoy Hotel in London.
The iconic ship, which is a key attraction in the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site, reopened to the public in April this year following an extensive conservation project. The judges praised the high quality of the interpretation at Cutty Sark, highlighting the subtle use of new technology which brings the stories of the ship alive whilst preserving the beauty of the world’s last surviving tea clipper.
Runners up in the category were Glasgow’s Riverside Transport Museum and Edinburgh’s redeveloped National Museum of Scotland.
Richard Doughty, Director of Cutty Sark, who accepted the award, said ‘I am absolutely delighted Cutty Sark has been recognised by the British Guild of Travel Writers. The conservation of this national treasure has been one of the biggest and most complex maritime heritage projects ever undertaken and thanks are due to the hard work and dedication of everyone involved in the project. It took many years to develop the right plan to save the ship and to secure funding – most notably from the Heritage Lottery Fund, without whose support, the ship would have been lost. Cutty Sark is a real survivor and has always held a special place in the hearts of the public. Already over 225,000 people have visited the ship during its first six months of trading.’
Cutty Sark was reopened to the public in April by Her Majesty The Queen. Visitors can venture aboard and beneath the beautiful three-masted clipper; walk along the decks in the footsteps of the merchant seamen who sailed her over a century ago; explore below deck and learn about the ship’s epic journeys carrying precious cargo through new interactive exhibitions. As part of the conservation project Cutty Sark has been raised over three metres into the air, preserving the unique shape of her hull. For the first time, visitors can walk underneath the ship and view the hull’s elegant lines, revealing the innovative design which was the secret to her success and enabled her to reach record-breaking speeds.
For visitor information visit rmg.co.uk/cuttysark