HMS Victory
Project Data
Client
NMRN
Access Value
£4 million
Products
Scaffolding | Temporary Roof
Location
Portsmouth
Construction Value
£35 million
Equipment
Layher
Main Contractor
PHD Access
Sector
Heritage
PHD Access won the prestigious contract from The National Museum of the Royal Navy (NMRN) to provide specialist access required for the renovation of the world-famous HMS Victory.
A Century in the Making: An Exclusive Visitor Experience
PHD Access was awarded the £4 million access contract for the renovation work, which is taking place exactly a century after Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson’s flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar was first moved to a dry dock in 1922. This modern-day Great Repair offered a once-in-a-generation opportunity to see under the skin of a First-Rate ship of the line and tell her story in a uniquely exclusive way.
A New Chapter Begins for HMS Victory
The installation heralded the beginning of a new chapter in the long and varied career of one of the world’s most famous ships. As one of the world’s best-loved ships and a national treasure, HMS Victory reached a hugely significant conservation milestone in the 10-year-long project to ensure she is protected for the next half century.
A Three-Phase Approach to Conservation
A temporary building has been constructed over Victory, in stages, to start the process of drying the ship and keeping her weathertight during conservation works. Platforms eventually surrounded the ship in stages, encasing it in a secure structure. Phase one is from the mizzen mast to the fore mast; in phase 2, it will cover the bow, and in stage 3, the stern. This temporary building also provides full public access at three levels for viewing of the works, allowing for the development of a fascinating new visitor experience where visitors could ascend scaffolding for an exceptionally rare opportunity to see specialist shipwrights at work.
Ensuring a Bright Future: A Decade-Long Project
This decade-long project will ensure the ship is protected for the next half century. The ship’s rotten outer shell is currently being removed and replaced with new oak, repairs are being made to the ship’s structural framework, and she is due to be fully re-rigged. This process will last ten to fifteen years and cost £35 million.
