News

One of London's most famous tourist attractions, the Cutty Sark, has been devastated by fire.

The 137-year-old ship is the worlds only surviving tea clipper and had been sitting in Greenwich by the River Thames since 1954.

Recently, much of the vessel was removed from the site as a major multi-million pound restoration project was carried out and this may turn out to be the Cutty Sark's saving grace.

Although fire officials say that much of the ship has been damaged, all of the artefacts usually stored onboard and a great deal of the original material that made up the hull had already been removed for renovation.

Officials are hopeful that the fire has not damaged the ship beyond repair and Peter Van der Merwe, general editor at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, explained why the Cutty Sark is so special.

'It's one of the most important historic ships in the world. It's the first merchant ship which was deliberately saved for preservation to represent really the ultimate development of the merchant sailing ships - the fast sailing ships of the nineteenth century,' he told the BBC.

'It is also constructionally very important. It's a composite ship built of teak on an iron frame and it was in its time an extraordinary famous ship.'

The work to restore the Cutty Sark began in November 2006 and includes plans to allow visitors to see beneath the ship for the first time by elevating it above a glass viewing area.

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