Our funding helped The Dundee Industrial Heritage Trust take the first steps in a major restoration programme for the historically significant RRS Discovery. This was one of several grants we've awarded to support the work.
An irreplaceable part of the UK’s heritage
Built in Dundee in 1901 for one of Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s Antarctic expeditions, the RRS Discovery is the sole surviving UK ship from the heroic age of Antarctic Exploration. It was the first ship in the world specifically designed for scientific research in ice-packed Antarctic regions.
Docked at Discovery Point in Dundee, it receives over 100,000 visitors every year, including school groups and tourists from around the world.
Repair was critical
RRS Discovery had been deteriorating in multiple areas, including parts of the internal hull, bow and propeller shaft. Its stern timbers and portside bulwarks – the parts of the ship above the main deck – are decaying. Emergency repair works had become vital.
Set for the future
Our funding of £1,409,000 contributed to the first phase of RRS Discovery’s full restoration and supported an enhanced annual maintenance programme.
The conservation work is part of a larger redevelopment programme, Discovery Point Transformed, costing £12m. It will conserve the ship and create a world-class attraction for tourists and the community, with new galleries, events spaces, restaurant and facilities.