Cutty Sark
Cutty Sark features on the Gingerguide audio walk through London. Give it roughly ~60 min: enough to look, hear a two to three minute story on the spot, and ask the AI guide whatever the story leaves open.
- Type historic
- Suggested visit ~60 min
- London London guide
About Cutty Sark
The world's sole surviving tea clipper, beautifully preserved in dry dock at Greenwich as a museum of maritime history.
The Cutty Sark is the last surviving tea clipper and one of the fastest sailing ships ever built. Launched in 1869, she was designed to race tea from China to London, competing in the great tea clipper races of the Victorian era.
The ship could reach speeds of 17 knots under full sail, remarkably fast for a sailing vessel. When steam ships made the tea trade uneconomical for sail, she switched to the wool trade from Australia, where she set speed records that were never beaten.
The ship has been preserved in a dramatic glass-and-steel structure in Greenwich since 1954. A major restoration completed in 2012 raised the ship 3 metres above the ground, allowing visitors to walk underneath the gleaming copper-clad hull, a truly spectacular experience.
Did you know? The Cutty Sark could reach 17 knots under full sail, making her one of the fastest sailing ships ever built.
How long is a visit to Cutty Sark?
Set aside roughly ~60 min for Cutty Sark. That covers a good look and the narrated story, and because you set the pace you can always stay on.
Is Cutty Sark worth your time?
Cutty Sark is among the 41 narrated highlights the Gingerguide team chose for London, so it is worth a look. Hear the story for the context, then ask the AI guide for anything more.
Nearby stops in London
Hear the story of Cutty Sark
Preview the London tour free in the Gingerguide app.