It’s no secret that I love a bit of ship history!
Living in the UK, I feel spoilt for choice when it comes to opportunities to visit places steeped in maritime history.
And not just dusty old museums. You can visit dockyards, walk the decks, climb into cabins, see the craftsmanship of past generations of shipbuilders and visit places that have gone down in history.
From Nelson’s HMS Victory to Brunel’s SS Great Britain – the dry dock where the Titanic was built to Tilbury port where my ancestors emigrated to New Zealand – the UK is full of living reminders of its maritime history.
In this article, we look at some places that might be of interest to you, some are well-known, others are more unusual and just plain quirky!
South East England
Portsmouth Historic Dockyard – Portsmouth
If you are sailing from, or visiting, Southampton, you might want to visit Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.
Portsmouth is about 26 miles from Southampton, or about half an hour by car. There are loads of interesting places and buildings in Portsmouth, it is a very historic city.
A visit to the Historic Dockyard is not to be missed. You can get onboard:
- HMS Victory, Nelson’s flagship at Trafalgar.
- Launched in 1765 at Chatham Dockyard, HMS Victory is a wooden ship, originally built from over 2,000 oak trees, and is one of the world’s oldest naval vessels still in commission.
- HMS Warrior.
- The first iron-hulled warship, you can get onboard and see what life was like for the sailors in the nineteenth century. She is in a remarkable state of preservation, having been saved from possible scrapping by the Maritime Trust in the 1970s
- You can visit the famous Mary Rose.
- Mary Rose was Henry VIII’s Tudor warship, raised from the Solent in 1982.
- The ship was fighting in the Battle of the Solent. She turned to fire on the French when a gust of wind likely hit her. That, combined with its unstable design, caused it to capsize and sink.
- Her decks were said to be dangerously overloaded with soldiers and arms, and recently fitted gun ports had accidentally been left open, allowing water to flood in. Over 450 sailors lost their lives.
As well as ships you can visit, there are plenty of interesting maritime artefacts on show, including a whole gallery of original figureheads from some of the Royal Navy’s most famous ships.
Find out more here:
SeaCity Museum – Southampton
If you find yourself with a few hours to kill when your ship is docked in Southampton, you can visit this interesting museum.
SeaCity Museum opened in Southampton on 10 April 2012, marking the centenary of the Titanic setting sail from Southampton’s port on its fateful last voyage.
As well as detailing Southampton’s Titanic Story with an interactive model of the ship, recordings of passenger stories, and original artefacts, the museum also explores Southampton’s history as a gateway to the world.
This is a museum that I often take my cruise blogging friends to when they arrive at Southampton by ship. I think there is something of interest for everyone here.
Find out more about the museum below:
Although Titanic sailed from Southampton, you cannot visit the exact dock where the Titanic departed (Berth 44). It is still a working part of the port.
Marine Court – St Leonards On Sea, Sussex
This is a bit of a quirky one, but if you are in the area, this building is well worth a look!
The Marine Court apartment building in St Leonards-on-Sea was designed to resemble the Ocean Liner RMS Queen Mary.
Built between 1936 and 1938, the Art Deco building’s design was heavily influenced by the ocean liner, which had entered commercial service in 1936.
Marine Court has numerous ship-like elements, such as balconies on the seaside elevation that mimic the promenade deck and the upper structure is stepped in to resemble a ship’s superstructure.
The building’s design was a conscious effort to evoke the glamour of a luxury ocean liner.
The flats themselves are privately owned, so you can’t go inside the building, apart from on the odd special occasion when residents open their homes up for tours.
At the time of its completion, Marine Court was the tallest block of flats in the UK.
Marine Court is currently undergoing a substantial renovation program that began after residents purchased the freehold of the building in 2010.
The original owners of the building were the South Coast (Hastings and St. Leonards) Properties Company. The building eventually passed into the hands of Hastings Borough Council, but by 2007, the building was desperately in need of renovation, and clearly, the council didn’t have the money to carry out the expensive works needed.
I love the look of this building, and it’s great to see it being returned to its former glory. It is a well-known local landmark, and well worth a drive past if you are in the area.
Find out more information about Marine Court here:
https://historymap.info/Marine_Court
Historic Dockyard Chatham – Kent
Royal Dockyards, like Chatham, provided the British Navy with the facilities it needed to build, repair and maintain its fleet.
The earliest mentions of the Chatham dockyard date back to 1547, and by the mid-18th Century, the dockyard employed thousands of well-paid, skilled artisans working in a wide range of trades.
At the centre of the dockyards were their dry docks, and it was the quantity of these expensive structures that set the Royal Yards apart from merchant shipyards.
As well as the dockyards themselves, there are well-preserved Georgian and Victorian buildings, dry docks, and a ropewalk. You can actually see them making rope in the traditional way – which is really fascinating!
You can tour HMS Cavalier – a WWII destroyer, and HMS Ocelot – a Cold War submarine. (Make sure you are wearing suitable clothing to get through the hatches between compartments! I wore a dress, which was a bad move…)
You can learn all about the 400-year shipbuilding legacy at Chatham.
Learn more here:
Tilbury Docks – Essex
If you get the chance to sail from Tilbury, it is well worth doing so. Although the surrounding area is grey and industrial, the port building itself is a Grade II* listed building. The listing also includes the floating landing stage and the railway station.
Tilbury Docks opened in 1886, opening the way for the trade of goods and the operation of passenger services from Essex to the rest of the world.
The floating river Landing Stage was opened in 1930 by Prime Minister Ramsey McDonald, expanding the passenger line services at Tilbury, allowing berths for liners at all states of the tide.
People left England from Tilbury Dock for Australia and New Zealand for many years, especially during the mid-20th century, as part of the UK’s assisted migration schemes. These people were known as the “Ten Pound Poms.”
British citizens moving to Australia paid a £10 fee, and often departed from Tilbury, a significant port for these large-scale post-World War 2 migrations.
I have family connections with Tilbury. My great aunt emigrated to New Zealand from Tilbury in the 1950s, and both of my great-grandfathers worked on and around the Thames at Tilbury.
Many people from the Caribbean came to work in the UK via Tilbury. The arrival of the HMT Empire Windrush in 1948 was a landmark event that marked the beginning of mass migration from the Caribbean to the UK.
The ship arrived at Tilbury Docks, bringing 492 Caribbean passengers, and the event is seen as the start of the “Windrush generation” who came to fill post-war labour shortages and help rebuild Britain after the war.
A few cruise lines still sail and dock at Tilbury. These include:
- Ambassador Cruise Line:
- Uses Tilbury as a home port for its ships, Ambience and Ambition.
- Oceania Cruises
- Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines
- Viking Cruises
I took a “cruise to nowhere” from Tilbury on Disney Magic just after the Covid pandemic. Disney doesn’t normally sail from Tilbury.
Have a look at that unusual cruise here:
South West England
SS Great Britain – The World’s First Great Ocean Liner – Bristol
Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s revolutionary 1843 steamship, SS Great Britain, was the world’s first iron-hulled, screw-propelled, ocean-going passenger liner. She was launched in 1843.
She combined groundbreaking technologies of the time:
- An iron hull for strength.
- A powerful steam engine.
- A revolutionary screw propeller instead of traditional paddle wheels.
She had a long career as a transatlantic liner and emigrant ship.
After a significant grounding incident in 1846, the ship was unable to be refloated for almost a year.
Her owners went bankrupt, and she was then sold to be used as an emigrant ship.
Towards the end of her working life, she was converted into a floating warehouse in the Falkland Islands and eventually abandoned.
She was eventually rescued from the Falkland Islands in 1970 and returned to her original dry dock in Bristol for restoration. She is now a major tourist attraction.
She is a magnificent ship, and well worth a visit if you are in the area.
Learn more about the SS Great Britain here:
Scotland
RRS Discovery – The Ship That Took Scott to the Antarctic – Dundee, Scotland
The RRS Discovery was launched in 1901, the last traditional wooden, three-masted ship built in the UK.
She was designed specifically for scientific exploration and cost over £51,000 to build – the equivalent of over five million in today’s money.
Robert Scott and Ernest Shackleton sailed on RRS Discovery on a British National Antarctic Expedition.
She spent two years locked in the ice, during which the expedition made significant scientific discoveries.
Although Scott failed in his bid to be the first to the South Pole, the expedition laid critical groundwork for future explorations and scientific research.
RRS Discovery later served the government before returning to Dundee, and she is now a museum ship
Find out more here:
Royal Yacht Britannia – Edinburgh
Britannia was the first British Royal Yacht to be built with complete ocean-going capacity. She was designed as a Royal residence and to entertain guests around the world.
When she was decommissioned in 1997, it marked the end of a long tradition of British Royal Yachts.
She was built at John Brown & Co., one of the most famous shipyards in the world. The shipyard had also built the famous liners Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary.
The keel was laid down in June 1952, and she was launched by Queen Elizabeth II on 16 April 1953.
The ship’s name was a closely guarded secret, only being revealed when Queen Elizabeth II smashed a bottle of Empire wine (Champagne was considered too extravagant in post-war Britain) and announced to the expectant crowds, “I name this ship Britannia… I wish success to her and all who sail in her”.
As well as hosting state functions, Britannia was an ambassador for British business, promoting trade and industry around the world.
Royal Yacht Britannia is like touring a floating museum and a royal residence. You get a glimpse into the lives of the British Royal Family and the working crew.
You can explore five decks with an audio guide that tells the story of the yacht’s history and its famous guests, while also seeing private and state rooms, royal vehicles, and the engine room.
I really enjoyed my visit to Royal Yacht Britannia, it’s like stepping into another world.
We caught the local bus from Edinburgh, which was easy and cheap. It’s well worth taking the tour as part of your Edinburgh holiday if you get the opportunity.
Learn more about the Royal Yacht Britannia here:
http://royalyachtbritannia.co.uk
Wales
Duke of Lancaster – On the River Dee, near Mostyn
This is somewhere I have never been, but would love to visit.
The Duke of Lancaster, it seems, is just sitting there doing nothing. She was abandoned in 2004 after her owner walked away after failing to get planning permission to turn her into a leisure complex.
The ship was originally built in 1955 by Harland & Wolff in Belfast for British Railways.
She was used as a railway steamer passenger ship between 1956 and 1979. She had two sister ships, the Duke of Rothesay and the Duke of Argyll. They were the last passenger-only steamers built for British Railways.
(British Railways was also a ferry operator and the ships were designed to be used as passenger ferries and cruise ships).
During the 1960’s ships like the Duke of Lancaster were being replaced with purpose-built car ferries.
British Railways decided to convert its ships into car ferries and gradually replaced them with modern car ferries.
She was retired from being a cruise ship and was converted to a car ferry, and on 25 April 1970, she returned to service.
Her main deck had to be rebuilt to take cars with a door at her stern for the cars to drive onto the deck.
The Duke of Lancaster was used on the Fishguard (South Wales) to Rosslare (Southern Ireland) crossing. She also sailed between Holyhead (Anglesey) and Dun Laoghaire (Dublin).
This was stopped in November 1978, and she was laid up at Barrow-in-Furness (Cumbria).
In August 1979, plans were made for her to become a leisure centre. The owners also wanted to create a 300-room hotel on board – but they couldn’t get planning permission.
Now she’s rotting away in dry dock at Holywell. It isn’t possible to go aboard, and it’s not possible to walk all the way around her, but you do get a good view of her anyway. She is huge.
The Duke of Lancaster Appreciation Society has owned her since 2021. The ship is the biggest landmark in the area.
A few people have apparently ventured inside – it is apparently a 1970s time capsule with classic arcade machines, patterned carpets and red velvet armchairs.
The Duke of Lancaster Appreciation Society has a Facebook group, but no dedicated website. Find out more about the ship by joining the group:
www.facebook.com/groups/dukeoflancaster
North West
Merseyside Maritime Museum – Liverpool
At the Maritime Museum, you can explore the history of the great port of Liverpool.
I had a great visit here when I sailed into Liverpool on the Emerald Princess.
There was a great exhibition called “Seized! The Border and Customs uncovered” where they had a display showing “bodysuits” designed to be worn under outer clothing with packets of drugs stitched into them.
UK Border Agency (UKBA) officers found the drugs on passengers disembarking the MSC Orchestra in Dover. The drugs seized had an estimated street value of £1.4million.
It was fascinating!
There were also many other galleries to view, including:
- The Emigration gallery
- Liverpool: World Gateway
- The Titanic, Lusitania and Empress of Ireland gallery.
- The Battle of the Atlantic Gallery.
The entrance to this museum is free, although donations are always welcome.
The museum is temporarily closed for essential maintenance work at the time of writing, but hopefully will be opening again in the near future. You can check here:
www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/maritime-museum
Cunard Building – Liverpool
If you find yourself in Liverpool, why not walk past the magnificent Cunard Building?
It was completed in 1917 and built as the headquarters for the Cunard Steamship Company, serving as a hub for trans-Atlantic voyages.
Designed in the Italian Renaissance style, it is known as one of Liverpool’s “Three Graces”. (The other two being the Royal Liver Building by Walter Aubrey Thomas, and the former offices of the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board/Port of Liverpool Building by Briggs & Wolstenholme with Hobbs & Thornely).
The Cunard Building housed the company’s offices until the 1960s and later served as a travel bureau and ticket hall.
During World War II, its basement was used as an air raid shelter and the city’s Air Raid Precautions (ARP) headquarters.
Today, it is a Grade II listed building owned by Liverpool City Council and houses various public and private organisations.
If your ship docks in Liverpool, the Cunard building is only a five-minute walk away.
North East – Alnwick
The White Swan Hotel in Alnwick, Northumberland, is a 300-year-old coaching inn.
Inside, it has an unexpected surprise – The Olympic Suite.
The Olympic Suite function room has panelling, mirrors, and ornate ceilings all salvaged from RMS Olympic, the sister ship to the Titanic.
The hotel’s then-owner, Algenon Smart, had been a frequent traveller on the Olympic and attended the auction of the ship’s fittings in November 1935, conducted by the London firm Knight Frank & Rutley, in Jarrow, South Tyneside.
He entered the winning bids for elements of the First Class Lounge, the Aft First Class Staircase, and the revolving door from the liner’s restaurant.
You can step back in time by visiting this room today. I have never been, but it is on the “wish list”!
Have a look at that amazing room here:
thewhiteswanhotel.co.uk/the-olympic-suite/
Northern Ireland – Belfast
A visit to the Titanic museum in Belfast is on many people’s wishlist, and is well worth a visit if you haven’t been there. It is a very well-known attraction, but there are plenty of lesser-known interesting places to visit as well…
Shipbuilding in Belfast began in 1791, but the industry’s height and global fame came with the Harland and Wolff shipyard, founded in 1862.
Harland and Wolff became the largest shipyard in the world, building iconic liners like the Olympic-class ships and the RMS Titanic. While the industry has declined from its peak, it remains a significant part of Belfast’s history and identity.
Titanic Dry Dock – Belfast
Close to the site of the museum, you will find the Thompson Graving Dock. This is where Titanic and other ships were completed and fitted out.
The large, enclosed dock was designed to accommodate Olympic-class liners built by the Harland and Wolff shipyard.
Today, the dock is a historical site and a tourist attraction where visitors can see the original keel blocks and get a sense of the Titanic’s immense scale
You can go right down into the dry dock and see the end wall holding back the River Lagan. With its riveted panelling, it is very reminiscent of the side of a riveted Ocean Liner
The size of the dock is immense; it is quite breathtaking. I went long before I started my YouTube channel, but the visit was very memorable. Have a closer look here.
SS Nomadic – The Last White Star Line Ship -Belfast
Also close to the Titanic museum in Belfast is the SS Nomadic. She was built as a tender for the Titanic, and ferried passengers to the liner in Cherbourg.
She has been beautifully restored and can be found in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter.
SS Nomadic is the only surviving White Star Line vessel. She is a small ship with huge historical importance.
Find out more here:
Harland & Wolff Drawing offices
When I first visited Belfast and explored the Titanic Quarter, I came across the Harland & Wolff drawing offices.
Although clearly a wonderful building, it had been left to go to rack and ruin and was derelict. It was a sad sight to see.
The Drawing Offices were built in the late 1880s when the company was emerging as one of the world’s leading shipbuilders.
Decisions were made here that changed the course of shipbuilding. Visionary designers created the largest, most innovative and luxurious ships of the time.
The Harland & Wolff drawing offices in Belfast were derelict for decades after the company vacated them in 1989, but a restoration started in 2016.
The £28 million restoration project, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, transformed the historic drawing office building into the Titanic Hotel, Belfast. It was opened in September 2017.
The building now houses the hotel, but some heritage rooms, including the drawing offices themselves, are accessible to the public for tours and events.
I would love to go back and explore this wonderful building and see it now that it has been returned to its former glory!
Have a look at the drawing offices at the Titanic hotel, here:
www.titanichotelbelfast.com/harland-and-wolff-heritage/the-building
Before You Go
Find out what ship prefixes, like SS and RMS, actually mean here:
RMS, SS, MS and More: What Do Those Ship Prefix Letters Actually Mean?
Some people think it is unlucky to rename a ship. Find out why here:
Is It Unlucky to Rename a Cruise Ship? (I Cruised on One With Five Names!)
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