Cutty Sark Boat Restoration progress

[floppybootstomp]

Back in mid 2007 the old tea clipper boat The Cutty Sark permanently moored at Greenwich, UK, caught fire. Since then it's been going through a restoration process and it's hoped it will be open to the public again in April 2012. I have a feeling it will because next year the UK is hosting the Olympic Games and the Equestrian events will be held in Greenwich Park.

Because of this for the past year or more there has been a lot of feverish activity where the Council have miraculously found some funds to spruce the town centre up a bit. The Cutty Sark boat is part of this of course. All around the Cutty Sark the pedestrianised areas are having a revamp, the foot tunnel dome has been refurbished and the pier, formerly just a bunch of gang planks with railings, is also being rebuilt with a new building on it.

Today was a cold day but also a bright and sunny day so I went walkabout and took some snaps. I was lucky enough to catch the first two renovated masts being put back onto the Cutty Sark. There are also some more pix taken round and about as I had a stroll.

These pix can be enlarged to 1000 pixels wide by clicking on beige coloured bar at top.

I've never seen this old tug boat fired up before but today she had her engines running. Lots of building going on round here, seems every available square inch of land being sold to developers. Somebody's getting rich but it ain't me. This latest development partially blocks my view of the river from my home:

A couple of The Shard building as seen from Greenwich:

A few taken of and from the pier, showing partially built new building:

One entrance to the Greenwich Visitor's Centre right by The Cutty Sark:

Lady gives some money to lil ol accordion player busker in Docklands Light Railway mini concourse/mall:

Selling Christmas Trees. The Mitre pub in the background is where James stayed when he visited in '07:

 

[Taffycat]

It's great to see the restoration of the Cutty Sark going so well, it looks as if it's well on track for completion in time for the Olympics.

Super photos Sir Flopps, I very much like the one of the acordion player and the woman in the pink coat who's touching his hand in a kindly sort of way.

But oh dear, is it just me, or does anyone else think the chimneys in the fifth-from-last-pic, (top left of the double-decker bus,) look as if they're making a rude gesture...?

Thanks for sharing with us, always love your photos of old London town.

 

[bootneck02]

No TC it is just your mind I think Great photo's Floppy I love the old tug boat, nice to see the old thing with a head of steam. I remember taking the kids to see the Cutty Sark and that must have been 30/35 years ago, it is good to see the old girl having a face lift after the disastrous fire and not the scrap heap, Great photo's as usual.

 

[nivrip]

Hard to believe that it's four years since the fire. Seems like only yesterday.

Was anyone nabbed for arson?

When it's completed I'll get along to see it again.

Super pics.

 

[bootneck02]

I think it was workmen who were doing hot work and left something hot and smouldering and also the fire alarms had been switched off because of the hot work but had not been switched back on, I could be wrong but I believe that was the cause.

 

[floppybootstomp]

This was the official reason for the fire:

An industrial vacuum cleaner which had been switched on for two days was responsible for the blaze, which caused damage put at £10m.

News link from yesterday

Myself, I suspect an insurance job or possibly Al Qeda.

 

[Abarbarian]

Luverly pics mate.I always get a bit jealous when I see what a exciting place you live in with so much to see and do. Then I look around me and realise that it would all be too much hustle and bustle and sit back and enjoy the peace.

 

[Becky]

You've got some great pics there

 

[bootneck02]

Yes floppy you could be right as the security officer's came in for a lot of criticism for not carrying out their patrols properly, I wonder why?

 

[floppybootstomp]

An update, all masts and rigging now back in place and boat is due to open as an exhibit in April with our Liz visiting this now Royal borough to do the opening honours in April. These pix taken at end of February.

The boat has been raised a couple of metres from it's original position and a viewing gallery has been constructed around the hull so visitors can walk right underneath:

And I can see the masts from my balcony, they weren't there when I moved in almost four years ago:

 

[Taffycat]

Looks like the restoration is going really well, it looks great, doesn't it. And lovely pics too Sir Flopps

 

[bootneck02]

Great photo's Floppy I remember taking my children to see the Cutty Sark and that must 30 years ago. It is great to see the old girl back looking in her prime. Nice to know we were a world beater not so long ago. We took the children to all the Museums and the exhibitions in London that we could, including the Chinese Teraccota Army the first time it came to London.

 

[Becky]

It's nice to see how well the work is progressing!

 

[historian]

Well lets hope some developer,with the help of the council,wont redevelope and ruin that view of those wonderful masts from your home.
historian

 

[floppybootstomp]

Well lets hope some developer,with the help of the council,wont redevelope and ruin that view of those wonderful masts from your home.
historian

Oh, you cynic you. Since I moved in here almost 4 years ago I have probably lost around a fifth of my view thanks to developments but I can't really complain too much as I live in a tall development that doubtless spoiled somebody else's view.

It's all about greed. Any land with a London postcode, even the formerly rubbish areas. are now hot property. So councils, even the rabidly left wing councils (like Greenwich), sell off scrap land at a premium price and the higher the investor can build, the higher their return.

Still, this is London, not a Suffolk Village, but I still don't like it much. There may come a day when all I see from my patio for 360 degrees are a plethora of walls. Which would not be good, seeing as how right now I can see Greenwich Observatory, the River Thames and The London Eye.

There again, I may well have passed on by then, lol