Alistair Hardaker | Image: View at Gantry Stern End Courtesy of PHD Access
New structure will open views into HMS Victory’s inner workings as £42m conservation project enters new phase.
HMS Victory’s decade-long, £42m conservation project is entering a new phase, with scaffolding opening up sightlines into areas of the 260-year-old warship not previously accessible to visitors.
For the first time in the ship’s history, visitors will be able to look directly into Victory’s inner workings as specialist teams prepare the bow and stern for the next phase of conservation works.
The National Museum of the Royal Navy, which conserves the ship, says the project will reveal parts of Victory last seen by the 18th-century shipwrights who built it.
The new scaffolding will include two viewing platforms at the stern alongside fresh perspectives from existing Victory Live: The Big Repair viewing points. New museum displays will be installed to help visitors understand the layers of the ship and how the team are repairing it. Visitors will also be able to take part in immersive demonstrations showcasing traditional shipbuilding skills and caulking workshops.
Andrew Baines, Executive Director of Museum Operations for the National Museum of the Royal Navy, said: “For the first time, visitors will have an uninterrupted view into the inner workings of the ship and the hugely impressive engineering and skilled work that goes into that.
“It feels like we’re shaking hands with that team from across the centuries.”
During 2025, shipwrights focused on replacing large sections of rotten timber frames on the starboard side of the ship. In August they installed the 100th new futtock, the curved wooden ‘ribs’ that form Victory’s frame, marking a major milestone in the project. The final futtocks are now being installed to replace the remaining rotten wood on the starboard side. Replanking of the hull will begin in early 2026, rebuilding the outer ‘skin’ of the ship while managing its ongoing internal repairs.
To enable the new full-height scaffolding, shipwrights, riggers and conservation specialists will carry out one of the most technically demanding elements of the project: the removal of Victory’s remaining masts.
Baines continued: “Removing the masts is a huge job and a vital part of the project plan. We plan to do it all over one night, using very specialist equipment and knowledge, so there’s a lot of pressure to get it right first time,”
“Our highly-skilled archaeologists, conservation scientists, shipwrights and riggers are adapting our work every single day in response to discoveries and challenges, and we look forward to sharing Victory’s story with visitors as we continue to uncover more of her history.”
The scaffolding is being installed in sections, with the aim of having the final walkway in place by summer.
