Still & Wake

Tall ships: famous ships and where to see them

A tall ship, in Collins's definition, is any square-rigged sailing ship. Several famous ones are preserved in the UK, and you can walk their decks.

A three-masted square-rigged tall ship under full sail
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Choose the ship you want to understand

Begin with the question that brought you here. You might want to see a sailing ship's rig at close quarters, look around a preserved warship, or make a day of a museum visit. Read the individual ship's page before choosing. The names below are a starting point for comparing those visits, with a source beside each one.

Cutty Sark, Greenwich

Royal Museums Greenwich calls Cutty Sark "the world's only surviving extreme clipper". She was launched at Dumbarton on 22 November 1869 and is open to visitors daily in Greenwich. Her name, RMG explains, is an old Scottish word for a short nightdress, taken from Burns.

HMS Victory, Portsmouth

The National Museum of the Royal Navy describes Victory as Nelson's flagship, and visitors can step aboard at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. Royal Museums Greenwich records that she was launched in 1765 and flew Nelson's flag at Trafalgar.

A two-masted square-rigged brig at dawn
Brig at Dawn.

HMS Warrior, Portsmouth

Warrior sits in the same dockyard. The museum calls her the Royal Navy's first iron-hulled armoured warship, restored as she was in 1860. Visitors can walk the upper deck and see the engine room.

Love the look of these ships? Our ship prints show invented tall ships, schooners and brigs, printed to order.

Glenlee, Glasgow

The Glenlee is a three-masted barque launched at Port Glasgow on 3 December 1896. She is berthed beside the Riverside Museum and open for tours.

Check the visit before setting off

Follow the ship's own visitor link for current opening, tickets and access information. If you are going with someone who needs step-free access, check that detail for the ship itself. Decide whether the part you most want to see is open on your chosen day. A museum's general opening hours alone may not answer that question.

The Tall Ships Races

Sail Training International says the races bring together young people, most of whom have never sailed before. The 2027 host ports are Bordeaux (8 to 11 July), A Coruña (16 to 19 July) and Sines (29 July to 1 August). None is in the UK.

A tall framed lighthouse picture beside a wide framed harbour picture.
Lighthouse and harbour examples show how a tall or wide picture fits the wall.

Bringing a tall ship home

If you'd like a ship under full sail on your own wall, our ship and tall ship prints include a three-masted square-rigger, a schooner and a brig at dawn. For the boat you sail yourself, start with a print from your photo.

Sources

Published .

Written by Craig Fearn, Still & Wake. Last updated .

Craig Fearn runs Still & Wake. He writes the guides and journal.

Questions, answered

Where can I see a tall ship in the UK?
Cutty Sark is in Greenwich, and HMS Victory and HMS Warrior are at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. The Glenlee is at Glasgow’s Riverside Museum. All are open to visitors.
Are the Tall Ships Races coming to the UK in 2027?
Not according to Sail Training International: the 2027 host ports are Bordeaux, A Coruña and Sines.