The former HMS Wellington, the large white ship moored on the Thames in central London, is 90 years old this year but has had to launch a fundraising campaign to ensure it sees out its centenary.
HMS Wellington, moored at Temple Stairs, Victoria Embankment, has been a part of London’s river scene since she was towed there in December 1948 after her career as a Royal Navy warship during World War II
For most of her time in London, the ship has been the floating Livery Hall for the Honourable Company of Master Mariners known as HQS Wellington, and on occasions, open to the public.
Today, Wellington is used for hosting education programmes on maritime topics for under-served communities, as well as exhibitions, heritage events and ship tours. However, the ship is ageing, and last year, the Livery Company had to move out, pending repairs to the ship.
Although initial repairs were completed, allowing the ship to host its first-ever summer opening for the public, there’s still a lot of work to keep her river-worthy.
The ship’s owners, the Wellington Trust, are now fundraising to cover the cost of long-term maintenance repairs.
The details of the fundraiser campaign are here.
For many years HMS Wellington was the ‘target’ used by ‘Amateur Photographer’ magazine to test the quality of new camera lenses. At that time the magazine was based on the South Bank so the ship was a handy photographic subject across the river.