The Fascinating History of Cutty Sark

Did you know that an important piece of English history—the last tea clipper—is just a short distance from our Canada Water nursery?

That's right, the Cutty Sark is just a short walk away from us, making the ship easily accessible to our curious preschoolers!

Below, we're going to tell this famous ship's exciting tale and history. Come with us as we discover some fun and educational facts!

The Birth of Cutty Sark

Built in 1869 in River Leven, Dumbarton in Scotland, she was designed by Hercules Linton and built by the Scott & Linton shipyard.

She was specifically built to make the most out of the booming tea trade between China and England in the late 19th century.

She was expected to be one of the fastest ships in the industry, and as you'll discover in the following points, she did not disappoint!

As one of the last tea clippers to be built, it is now the only surviving one.

Fun fact: The ship was named after a witch from a Scottish poem called 'Tam O'Shanter! In Scots language, 'Cutty Sark' means 'short shirt.'

Cutty-sark, the witch, as the figurehead of Cutty Sark, the ship. Photo from Wikipedia.

Here at Hatching Dragons, we believe in educating our children with our rich history as early as possible!

This is why our students in Hatching Dragons Canada Water have the opportunity to visit the ship in their weekly field trips. 

Want to join in on our exciting trips in the future? Enrol now!

The Maiden Voyage

On February 15, 1870, the ship made her maiden voyage - her first journey!

Bound for Shanghai, she carried wine, beer, and spirits, and brought home 1,305,812 lbs of tea. That's a lot of tea, isn't it?

After spending 25 days in port in Shanghai, she arrived home in October 13 of the same year. She's one speedy ship!

A Speedy Ship

The ship's sleek design and large sails allowed it to reach high speeds. This made her one of the fastest ships of its time!

In fact, set a record by sailing from London to Sydney in just 73 days. To put that into perspective, in the 1860s, it typically took 3 months to travel from England to Australia. 

Quite impressive, isn't it?

Trivia: Why are ships called she/her?

There are many reasons why ships are often women, one of which is that they're comparable to motherhood, mother nature, and goddesses!

Both boats and mothers are seen to have caring, motherly natures. Moreover, the unpredictable forces of the weather and the sea are why they're comparable to Mother Nature herself.

All of this shows the deep admiration that sailors have for boats and their role in our lives.

The Tea Trade

Tea was a valuable commodity, and Cutty Sark played a part in making it accessible to people in Britain.

She played a significant role in the tea trade between China and Britain. In fact, she was built exclusively for the tea trade. 

Tea has already been widely enjoyed in Asia but hasn't reached Britain until the 1650s. The ship is one of the tea-clippers who transported tea from China to London during the 19th century.

The ship's speed and efficiency helped secure its place in the tea trade.

After the big improvement in steamships and the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, a shorter trade route was created between England and China.

Because of this, the ship switched from trading tea from China and started trading wool from Australia instead.

This is where she held her record time in Britain for ten years!

Life at Sea

The crew of Cutty Sark consisted of sailors from different countries. They had to work together to navigate the ship and handle its sails.

The number of crew she carried varied from voyage to voyage, but there's usually 26 men manning her. 

Cutty Sark ship crew, from Royal Museums Greenwich

Life at sea was challenging, with long hours and unpredictable weather. Ship crew had to be skilled in various tasks like rigging, navigation, and maintenance.

To learn more about the crew in Cutty Sark, read here!

Preserving History

The ship is now preserved as a museum ship in Greenwich, London. Visitors can explore it and learn about its history.

After getting fully restored in 1957, it was displayed on a concrete dry berth near the River Thames and opened to the public by Queen Elizabeth II. 

The ship's original structure and artifacts are on display.

In 2006, it was once again closed for extensive renovations. Unfortunately, it was severely damaged by fire in 2007 but was fully repaired and restored just in time to be open for public during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

Preserving Cutty Sark allows future generations to appreciate its significance in maritime history.

To learn more about maritime history, you can visit the national maritime museum!

Visiting the Cutty Sark

Here in Hatching Dragons, we regularly have field trips all over London, one of which includes The Cutty Sark!

If you'd like to join us on our field trips, enrol now!

For more information on The Cutty Sark, visit the website of the Royal Museums Greenwich.