Since she was dry-docked at Greenwich in 1954, 15 million people have paid to look inside her, and up to seven million people a year pass through Greenwich gardens to see her from the outside.

There are people in Falmouth who remember her from when she was dry-docked there, and thousands who went through training as naval cadets in Greenwich who remember her from those days. And now she lies charred in her dock, seemingly the victim of arson.

Her global fame is not just a reminder of the great age of sail, but of Britain's history as an island nation whose success depended on maritime prowess.

She is the only tea clipper still in existence, built in 1869 at the height of British imperial grandeur, named after a character in a Robert Burns' poem and designed to win the annual - and lucrative - race across the globe from China to London to bring the first tea of the year.

Reprinted with permission from the Cutty Sark Trust
Why Cutty Sark Matters

•She is the most famous ship in the world

•She is the epitome of the great age of sail

•She is the only surviving extreme clipper, and the only tea clipper still in existence.

•Most of her hull fabric survives from her original construction and she is the best example of a merchant composite construction vessel.

•She has captured the imagination of millions of people, 15 million of whom have come on board to learn the stories she has to tell.

•She was preserved in Greenwich partly as a memorial to the men of the merchant navy, particularly those who lost their lives in the world wars.

•She is one of the great sights of London.

• She is the world’s sole surviving extreme clipper, a type of vessel that was the highest development of the fast commercial sailing ship, with the majority of her hull fabric surviving from her original construction.

• She is internationally appreciated for her beauty and is one of the most famous ships in the world.

•Her fine lines – a considerable part of her appeal – are defined by her frames which form part of the vessel’s composite construction; a construction technique of which she is the best surviving example and of which she is of exceptional quality.

•She has captured the imagination of millions of people, 15 million of whom have come on board to learn the stories she has to tell.

•She is a gateway to the World Heritage Site at Greenwich and is a key asset to both the World Heritage Site and the Borough of Greenwich.

•As a tea clipper, she is tangible evidence of the importance of tea in 19th century trade and cultural life.