PHD Access is playing a central role in the latest phase of the HMS Victory conservation programme at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, delivering the specialist temporary works and access systems supporting repairs on the historic warship.
The wider project forms part of HMS Victory: The Big Repair, which the National Museum of the Royal Navy has described as a £42 million conservation programme.
The contractor said phase two includes a fully free-standing temporary structure for visitor circulation across three levels, with enclosed walkways, wheelchair access and, for the first time, a lift to HMS Victory itself.
PHD said the package has been designed to keep public access in place while major conservation work continues.
PHD also said it has installed remote-control Niko track crane systems within loading bays and suspended from the temporary roof, allowing controlled movement in two planes for planking sections up to 10 metres long and weighing up to one tonne.
Among the main structural elements is a 28-metre bridge across the stern of HMS Victory. According to PHD, the 12-tonne structure is built from 18 rows of 1.2-metre beams and forms part of the Victory Live visitor route, with multiple levels of glass-enclosed walkways.
The National Museum of the Royal Navy has said the latest phase of the project will give visitors new views into parts of the ship’s internal structure that have not been seen for more than 260 years, while conservation teams continue major work on the vessel. The museum has also described the current stage as one of the most significant in the long-running effort to preserve Nelson’s flagship for future generations.
PHD’s in-house design team carried out detailed 3D surveying and modelling of HMS Victory before construction began, helping coordinate the temporary works with the geometry and historic fabric of the ship.
The company said that approach was important given the sensitivity of working around a scheduled ancient monument.
HMS Victory has been in dry dock at Portsmouth since 1922 and remains one of the UK’s most recognisable naval heritage assets. The current conservation programme is aimed at securing the 260-year-old warship for the long term while allowing the public to follow the work more closely.
A full project report on PHD Access’s role in the HMS Victory programme will appear in the forthcoming summer issue of Scaffmag.
