A day out in Greenwich

Tuesday was such a perfect late autumn day that I decided to down tools and go on an expedition. Where to go? Somewhere which would offer both nice walking and something interesting to see. Greenwich seemed a no brainer. In fact, Greenwich offers so much to see that I could have been there a week but because it was such a fabulous day I spurned the Cutty Sark, the Painted Hall, the Naval College, the National Maritime Museum and the Queen’s House with its ice rink and headed into the park and up the hill towards the Observatory.

Although a lot of it is currently closed, the Observatory is fascinating. It was commissioned by Charles II to help solve the knotty problem of how to measure longtitude – crucially important to enable the expanding naval and trading fleets to navigate their way around the seas. The Observatory was designed by Christopher Wren on the site of the ruined Greenwich castle – good solid foundations and on the top of a hill – and was notable for the speed and economy with which it was built (in less than a year and for the modest sum of £520.45). In July 1676 the Astronomer Royal John Flamstead moved in and began the observations of the stars which were to continue for the next 300 odd years. And by the 1760s new tables for finding longtitude via the stars that they had drawn up, and the development of John Harrison’s famous clock, had made navigation a lot easier.

Until the 19th century there was no fixed ‘time’ as we know it now with every locality keeping its own time. But with the ever increasing expansion of communications and travel in the mid 19th century, this was becoming unworkable and it was agreed that one international time standard needed to be established. At a grand conference on 25 nations in Washington DC in 1884 it was agreed that, because so much of the world’s shipping already used the Greenwich as their base point (Longitude 0° 0′ 0”) Greenwich should become the Prime Meridian on which the world’s time calculations woud be based. And it still is.

Problems with air and light pollution at Greenwich were becoming clear by the end of the 19th century but the observatory was not finally moved  until 1953 when it was resettled at Herstmonceux Castle in Sussex where it conitnues its work. The old observatory was turned into a museum.

One can see why Wren suggested Greenwich castle as a site for the observatory – perched on top of the hill in its royal hunting grounds, overlooking the river on one side with parkland, now carpeted in autumn leaves, stretching away to Blackheath on the other.

Over to the east beyond the observatory you will find the deer enclosure (although I am afraid that I did not see any deer) and what are called the Floral Gardens although they seemed a bit short on flowers. But they did have a fine lake with some very fat fluffed out pigeons…

….and some amazing trees.  This massive cedar –

and this stunning I-am-not-sure-what, its remaining leaves golden sovereigns blowing gently in the breeze.

And how about these from  some autumnal oak leaves?

I wandered back down the hill to the town to find myself a bowl of soup….

… and then took a boat home!  An Uber Thames Clipper, the new way to commute – anywhere from Woolwich in the east to Putney in the west, every half hour. They are catamarans and go like the clappers, as you will realise when we set off. It was a great trip in the afternoon sun – and a revelation in terms of just how many houses and flats there are strung out along the lower reaches of the river. Enjoy.