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Visit Scotland | Alba
Article published 27/01/2025

HMS Unicorn, one of the most historical ships in the world, has taken a major step towards securing her future thanks to a vital £796,000 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. As wider fundraising continues to raise a crucial additional £650,000 by April 2025 to unlock grants worth £10 million, the Heritage Fund grant will support urgent preservation work with a potential further £3.3 million later in 2025.

The initial award from The National Heritage Lottery Fund will go towards the total cost of moving and securing HMS Unicorn within Dundee’s repaired East Graving Dock, ensuring a stable environment for the long-term preservation of Scotland’s oldest ship.

This move is an essential part of the Unicorn Preservation Society’s vision of Project Safe Haven, an ambitious plan to help transform Dundee’s historic docks with a purpose-built visitor centre that will enhance community engagement and celebrate HMS Unicorn’s maritime heritage.

Work has already begun to safeguard the future of the 200-year-old vessel, run as an accredited museum and popular visitor attraction, returning strength and robustness to HMS Unicorn’s hull. This will be achieved by cutting edge structural reinforcement, improving her resilience at her current berth and readying her for her move to the East Graving Dock.

To realise the pressing need to move HMS Unicorn to Dundee’s dry East Graving Dock, the Unicorn Preservation Society urgently need to match The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s investment by April 2025. This will unlock some £10 million of strategic grants required to finance this work, including from Tay Cities Region Deal. The necessary and vital work includes the emptying of the dock, repairing it with a new caisson and making it structurally sound and refilled to receive HMS Unicorn floating over a supportive cradle.

The delivery of this work is expected to support further funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund of up to £3.3 million, ready for the next stage of Project Safe Haven.

Read more on the HMS Unicorn website

illustrative image of a ship dry docked beside the entrance to a visitor centreIllustrative image of Project Safe Haven Visitor Centre. Credit -  LDN Architects

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