Her Majesty The Queen Reopens Famous Cutty Sark Tea Clipper Ship After GBP50 Million Restoration

    LONDON, ENGLAND, April 25, 2012 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The Queen, accompanied by The Duke of Edinburgh, officially opens the Cutty Sark, the original and only surviving tea clipper ship from the nineteenth century, on Wednesday 25 April, the day before she opens to the public on Thursday 26th April 2012. The event takes place half a century after Her Majesty first opened Cutty Sark to the public on 25th June 1957.

The famous sea faring vessel opens to visitors for the first time since 2006 following a five-year, GBP50m restoration and visitors coming to London to see the ship, once the fastest ship of her class, can find a comprehensive choice of hotels in London on the website LondonTown.com where there are details of all kinds of accommodation located conveniently close to the Greenwich attraction.

Cutty Sark, set in the newly landscaped Cutty Sark Gardens, has been raised 11 feet (3.3 meters) so visitors can walk underneath the ship for the first time and view the elegant lines of her hull, revealing the innovative design which was the secret to her success. Designed for speed, she could reach the record-breaking speed of 17 1/2 knots (20 mph/32kmph), carrying cargo - from tea to gunpowder, and from whisky to buffalo horns - from most major ports around the world to the UK.

The ship's weather deck and rigging have been painstakingly restored to their original specification, with 11 miles (17.5 km) of rigging supporting the masts. Below deck visitors can explore Cutty Sark's rich and varied history through new interactive exhibitions.

The new exhibition space created in the dry dock beneath the hull showcases Cutty Sark's extensive collection of over 80 ships' figureheads, many of which are more than 200 years old, displayed in its entirety on the site for the first time.

The Royal Borough of Greenwich is enjoying the spotlight this year with its newly granted Royal Borough status, the forthcoming Queen's Diamond Jubilee and the London 2012 Olympic Games this summer both of which take place, in part, in Greenwich. Cutty Sark's restoration will serve as a major attraction for the 18 million people who visit the Royal Borough each year.

For more information on the Cutty Sark and other visitor attractions in Greenwich including the National Maritime Museum, Royal Observatory and Queen's House visit LondonTown.com where much useful visitor information is provided including restaurant reviews, theatre tickets and an extensive choice of hotels to suit all budgets and requirements.

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