Celebrating 30 years at St Mary Overie Dock, The Golden Hinde has also been named one of four National Historic Ships UK Flagships of the Year for 2026 following a successful bid in a highly competitive process.

Standing aboard the ship during the ceremony, Hannah Cunliffe said: “It’s an absolute pleasure to be here with you all, standing here today on The Golden Hinde, as we present one of our prestigious Flagship of the Year awards.”

The awards, she explained, recognise vessels on the National Register of Historic Vessels with the strongest planned public engagement activities, with recipients acting as ambassadors for National Historic Ships UK throughout the year.

Yet throughout the ceremony, the ship itself remained impossible to ignore.

Despite threatening clouds and strong winds rolling along the Thames, the rain almost knowingly held off as guests gathered beneath the rigging awaiting the hoisting of the Flagship pennant.

Returning the following day to speak with visitors aboard the ship, it quickly became clear how strongly The Golden Hinde continues to resonate with those stepping aboard, whether intentionally or accidentally between visits to Borough Market and Tate Modern.

“My son’s wife said it was very interesting to visit. And it was on my way from Tate Modern to where I go. It’s fantastic to see a real ship like that.”

There is a contagious energy as visitors begin imagining the realities of the journeys undertaken by both the original vessel and the replica itself.

“It’s the first time to be on a ship like this in our whole life and it’s incredible to think about what these people have done inside this ship and what this ship had experienced in the past, which fights and wars, maybe some adventures. Yeah, the imagination of these happenings back then, it’s incredible.”

What makes The Golden Hinde particularly effective as a piece of living history is the way visitors experience it physically rather than simply observing it from a distance. The low beams, narrow staircases and cramped decks quickly replace romanticised ideas of adventure with a clearer sense of the realities sailors once faced aboard ships like this.

Angus Francis Coleman said: “It’s great to see such strong engagement and recognition here.”

“This designation is an important milestone for us, but equally important is seeing so many people sharing in that recognition and supporting what we do.

“So thank you everyone.”

The replica vessel has travelled more than 100,000 nautical miles since construction, while more than 30,000 visitors stepped aboard last year alone. With around 95,000 people passing through the area daily, the community surrounding The Golden Hinde remains vibrant, engaged and deeply invested in its future.

The ship also continues to undergo an extensive refit despite several challenges throughout the process, as the team works to secure the vessel’s long-term future in the heart of London.

Angus described the ship’s current phase as its “third chapter”, following its global education mission and eventual arrival at St Mary Overie Dock in 1996. That educational focus, he explained, remains at the heart of everything the ship does, while the relationships built with Londoners and the local community remain “absolutely central” to the organisation.

Neil Coyle also congratulated the team behind the ship, describing the award as recognition not only of the vessel itself, but of “the people who maintain, who interpret and who animate this ship for our community and for everyone who visits from across the country and across the globe.”

He added that he was “hugely proud” to represent a community with “such an amazing asset at its heart”.

With tens of thousands of people passing the ship each day, Coyle described the award as an opportunity to recognise the wider contribution heritage organisations make to tourism, education and the cultural identity of both Southwark and London.

He also praised the partnerships between the ship, the local community and National Historic Ships UK, alongside the specialist skills required to preserve historic vessels for future generations.

“We love what you do. We’re grateful for what you do. Thank you for what you do.”

Looking ahead, The Golden Hinde hopes to build on that support as it moves into the next stage of its story, balancing preservation, education and public engagement while remaining one of the Thames’ most distinctive sights.

For all the history surrounding the vessel, however, what remains most striking is how quickly it still captures people’s imagination. Whether visitors arrive intentionally or simply stumble across it while walking between Tate Modern and Borough Market, there is still a sense of discovery about stepping aboard.