Bloggo Piccolo: ICLC walk in Greenwich

Next Stop, Greenwich Village was a film about which I remember nothing but the title. I seem to remember enjoying it, but the content, alas, eludes me. However, one of my favorite days out in London is to what I call the ORIGINAL Greenwich Village"

Greenwich - the main drag

Greenwich! Known for the Old Royal Naval College, the National Maritime Museum, and the Royal Observatory, the Queen's House, a great market, the Cutty Sark (until it burned, though I understand it is being reconstructed), and most of all its pleasantly almost rural feel whilst still in Zone 2 of the London Underground. I first encountered it in fall 2005, on a Classic Walk of London, took visitors there myself on occasion, and on Saturday very much enjoyed Bill's walk!

We started at the Canary Wharf tube station. 

The futuristic Canary Wharf tube station

This itself is something to see, along with the large mall next to it and the docks areas surrounding it. From there we took the DLR to a stop near the north bank of the River Thames, from which we had a perfect if a bit sun-washed view of the Old Royal Naval College across the river.  After a chat about Greenwich, Bill took us UNDER the Thames, through a pedestrian tunnel -- great fun if a bit eerie.


We emerged in Greenwich, very near the site on which the beautiful Cutty Sark sailing ship used to stand. Actually it's still there, but under wraps, as it was closed for preservation work in 2006 and a fire destroyed much of it in 2007.  It is being painstakingly restored and is due to re-open in Spring 2012 -- as I've discovered with much of London -- under wraps, but scheduled to re-open just before the Olympics! 

The Cutty Sark when I saw it in Fall 2005
Nannie is on the masthead

It's worth chatting a bit about the ship. The Cutty Sark is the last of the tea clipper ships that sailed to the far east to fetch tea back to the English, who developed a craving for it that lasts to this day. The such last voyage occurred in 1877, but the Cutty Sark sailed on for many years after, until in 1954 it was placed on display in Greenwich.  The name, in archaic Scottish, means short nightdress, and comes from a famous poem by Robert Burns, called Tam O'Shanter."  Poor unsuspecting Tam happens to be out on a horse ride one night, when he spies a coven of witches and warlocks dancing around a fire -- the youngest and prettiest witch, Nannie, who happens to be wearing a short nightdress, catches Tam's attention and he shouts "Weel done, cutty sark!' This proves an almost deadly blunder, as Nannie tears after him and nearly catches him before he crosses the river -- witches, as any schoolboy knows, cannot pass over water. She DID grab his horse's tail and yanked it off the poor mare -- but Tam escaped.

The Greenwich Market

Our next stop was the colorful Greenwich Market, which features delicious food from all over the world - soups and stews bubbling in front of you as you enter - and all sorts of different crafts. We spent about 20 minutes shopping around in the market, right in the center of town, then headed off towards The Old Royal Naval College. 

The Old Royal Naval College from across the Thames

The area that now goes by that name began as a palace, an important one, in which for example Henry VIII was born and where he spent much of his time while married to his first two wives. He also had two navy shipyards built in the area during his reign thus the early  and continuing association with the navy. 

Later, during the era of the first Stuart monarchs, Inigo Jones designed and built the Queen's House, some slight distance from the palace itself.

The Queen's House
designed by Inigo Jones

I was told by a tour guide in fall 2005 when I first visited (and when I took the photo on the right) that the reason for this separation was so that James I could entertain his male friends in the palace while his queen could do...well, whatever she wanted in her own house!  But I've not been able to corroborate it, in fact from what I now understand James's wife Anne died before the house was ever finished. So much for believing in tour guides. I repeat the probably erroneous remark only because of its salacious content. 


By the time of the reign of William and Mary, in the late seventeenth century, that couple preferred the palace at Kensington, and at Mary's command a hospital, the Royal Naval Hospital, was built in its place. Christopher Wren was responsible, and his assistant was Nicholas Hawksmoor -- two fine architects, and it shows in the finished product. In 1873 the former hospital became the Royal Naval College, remained that until 1998, and it remains a college today, part of the University of Greenwich, with some space used for the Trinity College of Music.

The Painted Hall

The two showcases of the Hospital/College are the Painted Hall and the Chapel. The Painted Hall is literally that. James Thornhill painted ceiling and walls, including columns that seem to have depth to them but that instead are painted in the trompe de l'oeil style. It was designed as a dining hall for for the hospital, but the patients and retired seamen who stayed there proved too numerous to be fitted in the Hall.

The Chapel of St Peter and St Paul

Opposite the Painted Hall is the Chapel of St Peter and St Paul, another beautifully designed space, executed in Greek Revival style. It is open to the public daily, but also holds regular religious services. If I remember correctly, many years ago Kiri Te Kanawa sang a Christmas concert either in the Chapel or in the Painted Hall, which I saw on television and recorded, a recording sadly long lost. There was snow on the ground and the setting matched Te Kanawa's voice for beauty.


From there we trudged up the hill to The Royal Observatory, just in time to see the daily ceremony at 1 pm, when a red ball mounted on a pole rises (you have to take my word that it's rising in the photo below -- for all you know it may be dropping)

reaches the top,

then drops. 

When it hits the bottom, it is exactly 1 pm, Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). In days gone by, when the drop began in 1833, this ritual had a practical purpose for the ships in the Thames and for anyone in the area who wanted or needed to know -- you could literally set your watch or clock by it. But not everyone at that time could afford clocks or watches. Now the drop is an event to help celebrate that we are indeed at the Prime Meridian of the World: Longitude 0 degrees.


The Royal Observatory features the exact line of this prime meridian laid out on the ground:

And one can bestride it and feel for one brief shining moment like a master of the universe! I did, and it felt great:

It's actually a fascinating place, and well worth the visit. I'd been to Greenwich at least two or three times before this, and had never made the climb -- glad I did!


Oh, and the view from the observatory isn't bad either...

A view from the top - in the foreground the Queen's House and Royal Naval College;
in the distance Canary Wharf, part of the "new" London.
I for one am very glad they separated the new from the old!