The Cutty Sark

It's the last of the sea clippers used for carrying goods. She became famous because she was 1 of the fastest ships to carry tea from China and wool from Australia.


She was 1st launched in Scotland on 22 November 1869 and weighed 963 tons. She was built for John Willis, her 1st sea master. She was sold to the Portuguese in 1895 and then bought by the British again. The Cutty Sark finally stopped sailing in 1938.

She now rests in Greenwich, where you can have afternoon tea in the reconstructed Captain’s headquarters and experience what it was like to live on a ship more than 100 years ago.

On board is a collection of ships’ figureheads and an exhibition on the ship’s history.

The name ‘Cutty Sark’ comes from ‘Loan Shark’. In Cockney Rhyme and Slang it means ‘independent’.

Mon-Sat: 10.00-18.00
Sun: 12.00-18.00 (Closes 17.00 in winter)
Closed at Christmas
Admission charge

Address: King William Walk, Greenwich SE10 9HT

Directions: by Greenwich Pier

Phone: 020 8858 3445

Website: http://www.cuttysark.org.uk