The Cutty Sark is saved

The Cutty Sark has been saved for the nation. A grant of £11.25 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund will enable the ship to be protected from further damage for the next 50 years.

There had been fears that without a major restoration programme the legendary tea clipper, which has attracted millions of visitors from all over the world, would crumble away in a few years.

Carole Souter, director of the lottery fund, will announce the grant today on board the Cutty Sark with designer Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, who has championed the cause of the ship. The grant came as a last-minute reprieve. Without it the ship would have had to be closed to the public in 2007, as it was becoming too dangerous.

The money will allow the replacement of the main deck, keel and sheathing which are too badly decayed to repair.

A combination of electrolysis, mechanical cleaning and anticorrosion coatings will be used to protect and preserve both the metal and wooden components.

During the repair process at Greenwich the Cutty Sark is to be encased in a transparent inflatable envelope designed by Eden Project architect Sir Nicholas Grimshaw. Visitors will be able to view the restoration throughout.

Once refurbished, the ship will be raised by two metres and placed in a cradle suspended on glass "waves". The masts and some sails would then be reinstated to give an impression of her glory days. Once she is raised, visitors will be able to walk under the ship to view her elegant hull.

Areas will be created for learning zones, entertainment and catering facilities. A "service tower" will make it possible to hire the Cutty Sark for events, as well as adding income from larger numbers of visitors. The total cost of restoring and raising the ship and building the visitor centre underneath has been estimated at £25 million, so the grant is vital.

Richard Doughty, chief executive of the Cutty Sark Trust, said the ship "is a national and international icon, loved all over the world". He added: "Yet in its 50 years at Greenwich it has received no more than £400,000 of public money. The lottery decision is crucial as without it we would have to close the site and begin dismantling the ship."

Cutty Sark was built in 1869 on the Clyde to compete in the world's greatest sailing races to be first to bring the Chinese tea crop to London. She was the sailing equivalent of Concorde, built for speed.