The Cutty Sark Restoration Project

From humble beginnings as a 19th century tea-carrying vessel, the Cutty Sark has risen to become one of London's landmark tourist attractions. At the cost of a cool $50m, the world-famous ship was fully restored and Stone Concepts was extremely proud to be part of the project.

Construction of the Cutty Sark was completed in 1869 and she set off on her maiden voyage to China in 1870, fully loaded with a mixture of goods in her hold. After her cargo was unloaded in Shanghai, the hold was refilled with more than 1 million lbs of precious tea. Her crew rushed back to England in record time, unwittingly beginning a long tradition of 'tea races' with other ships. The Cutty Sark was one of the swiftest vessels of her day, as well as being one of the most robust.

After the ship was fully restored to her former glory, she was raised high above the floor to allow her impressive hull to be admired by visitors. To protect her from weather damage, a massive glass canopy was built above: this served the added purpose of allowing natural light to fill the Visitor Centre, enhancing visibility.

Thanks to our reputation for consistently delivering excellent results, Stone Concepts was selected by the Cutty Sark's restoration team to design and install a new stone floor at the Visitor Centre. We utilised our trusted network of quarries and suppliers to source materials of superlative quality and aesthetic value to create the vast expanse of floor, which both complements the unmatched beauty of the Cutty Sark as well as providing a robust and durable walking surface for visitors.

Please browse the 'Completed Projects' section of the Stone Concepts website to see more images of our work on the Cutty Sark Visitor Centre, along with many of our other successes.