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If you’ve ever walked the stretch of the north bank of the Thames between Blackfriars and Waterloo bridges, you may well have passed a long, sleek, white military ship. You probably didn’t think much about it – but it’s actually one of London’s most famous ships and a one-of-a-kind floating piece of history.
That ship is HMS Wellington and it’s best known for being a convoy escort during the Battle of the Atlantic in World War II. Built in 1934, the 81-metre, 1200-ton ship saved hundreds of lives in the Battle of the Atlantic (1939-1945), and it’s now the battle’s last surviving convoy escort in the UK.
After the war HMS Wellington was bought by the Honourable Company of Master Mariners, and since 2005 it’s been looked after by the Wellington Trust. These days it can be found docked at Temple Stairs on Victoria Embankment, but it’s only opened to the public on a select few occasions.
HMS Wellington has been in the midst of a grand restoration since April 2023 – and now that revamp has had a major boost that could lead to ship properly opening up to the public this year.
Last week the Wellington Trust revealed that it would be receiving a £225,000 grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, and that those funds will be used to open the ship to visitors, continue its education programs and ensure it is preserved for future.
What’s more is that the grant will go towards developing a new business model for the ship. The trust wants to expand HMS Wellington’s use as a private venue, workspace and film location, thus making sure its future is financially stable.
Dominic Tweddle, Chairman of the Wellington Trust, said about the grant: ‘We are so pleased to receive this grant from the National Heritage Lottery Fund. It means a great deal to us.
‘The award of this grant enables us to continue implementing the HMS Wellington Revitalisation Project. Expanding access to wider communities and developing a broad range of activities onboard will ultimately lead to the Trust becoming financially self-sustaining, so we can conserve this important vessel for all to enjoy. And learn from.
‘There is a lot to the Wellington story, and we look forward to welcoming many more people onboard in the future, thanks to the National Lottery players.’
There’s also a fundraiser for the Wellington Trust, which you can find out more about here.
Other sites to have received support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund this year include Dalston’s Balls Pond Cemetery and these seven sites splitting £27 million.
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