Wednesday, June 15, 2016

The Cutty Sark

 Arriving in Greenwich along the Thames River I was greeted by the Cutty Sark.
Now if you are not a tea fan you might not know why my heart was jumping up and down
to see this amazing ship.
 The Cutty Sark was built to be the fastest clipper to sail the tea route.
In 1870 she made her first journey to China to bring tea back to England.
She never made the title of the fastest, but she did bring tea back
to a country that was starting their love affair with tea.
Her life on the seas wasn't for long, as steamships and the opening
of the Suez Canal changed the shipping industry forever.
 After being rescued from demise she became a training ship
and then later rescued and placed in a permanent home in Greenwich.
 In the hull of the ship is the largest collection of merchant-ship figureheads.
 On exhibit were many references to tea during the Victorian period.
 Not very clean, but the containers were a good reminder of what filled this tea clipper
once upon a time.
 Can you picture walking here, sipping a cup of tea, and riding the waves
traveling back and forth to China?

The tea was brought to this wharf where it was unloaded and distributed to tea drinkers
during the Victorian period.
How excited my tea loving heart was to learn more of the history of tea in England.

5 comments:

Rosemary said...

Fun visit! Love the photo of the tea chests - history, indeed!

Antiques And Teacups said...

There used to be a private teapot museum not far away, but it closed a few years ago. I can't imagine what it must have been like crossing the ocean on a tea clipper...those guys were tough! I'd rather go to Tesco....
Ruth

Laura Morrigan said...

How interesting! And those figureheads!

Unknown said...

Awesome!!! Thank you!!!

Teresa said...

This ship looks amazing. Thank you for letting us visit along with you!
Sips and Smiles,
Teresa