New areas open up to public on HMS Victory at Portsmouth's Historic Dockyard

VISITORS can now follow in Nelson's footsteps thanks to a major refresh of HMS Victory, which has enabled important areas to be opened up to the public for the first time.
By The Newsroom
Published 21st Mar 2016, 12:05 BST
Updated 21st Mar 2016, 14:02 BST

As part of a multi-million pound conservation project which has seen the 250-year-old warship repainted in its original colours, the route for visitors around the iconic warship has been redesigned and expanded.

The public will now be able to ascend on to the Poop Deck to view Victory’s surroundings in the Historic Dockyard, walk around Nelson’s Great Cabin as well as see Captain Hardy’s Cabin displayed for the first time as a working captain’s accommodation.

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Another new area is a carpenter’s store where visitors can learn about the toll the Battle of Trafalgar had on Nelson’s flagship.

The length of the visitor route has been increased by an estimated 80 per cent thanks to the revamp.

Andrew Baines, head of historic ships at the National Museum of the Royal Navy said: ‘This is the most exciting transformation of one of the world’s most iconic ships in nearly a century.

‘The story of HMS Victory, and of Nelson, is now being told in a completely fresh way. The idea is to show visitors the ship as Nelson would have seen her, as part of an exciting new journey around his flagship.’

New exhibition ‘Sparring with Time’ which tells the story of the history of the ship and its legacy has also been launched.

Related topics:HMS VictoryNelsonPortsmouthNational Museum of the Royal Navy