Maritime Greenwich

I was surprised to see so many people at Greenwich as I thought it was only going to be a few hardy science enthusiasts coming to visit the observatory. But, as we learned, there is so much more and visiting makes for a pleasant day out from central London. We took the Uber Boats down the Thames to Greenwich. The rain dried up for a bit, the green park was nice for walking through, and we happily found much more than the Royal Observatory there. At the observatory, we took the obligatory "two hemispheres" photo, but didn't enter the observatory proper due to the steep admission fee given our time constraints. Still it was nice to see such a historic place. We did enter the (free) National Maritime Museum which now features a giant ship-in-a-bottle model of Nelson's HMS Victory at its entrance. We found the museum very interesting and we admired the intricate ship models, learned a little history, and sat in on a nice lecture about Peter the Great's visit. We also walked through the old Naval College's Chapel of St. Peter and St. Paul and were tempted by the Painted Hall, but again, the high admission price put us off when we were planning to see a lot of other art at the National Gallery. The Cutty Sark, as an icon of Maritime Greenwich was also nice to see. After our visit, the long line to get back into an Uber Boat had us rethinking taking the …

It's a fool's errand to try and see everything Greenwich has in one day, so naturally I had to give it a shot. I got there via the Thames Clipper River Bus, which has the added bonus of seeing bridges like Blackfriars and Tower Bridge from low down, and grabbed a coffee from the Starbucks which is surprisingly well-integrated into the street's aesthetic for a morning dander around the Naval College grounds until things began to open (it's worth getting there before attractions start opening at 10am to appreciate the exteriors at your leisure.) The first destination was the Chapel of St Peter and St Paul, which has lovely blue highlighting against the more standard cream-coloured walls. There's a Choral Evensong there after everything has closed that could be worth visiting but, alas, my flight was that night so I couldn't see it for myself. After that I went to the Painted Hall. They have quiet hours on Fridays which allowed me to enter at 10:15am, an essential piece in getting this schedule to work. I admittedly didn't click with it quite as much as other people, probably because of how hagiographic it is. King Billy aside, there are still plenty of highlights there, for myself the inclusion of Wren's own blueprints, the four women along the edges of the Upper Hall's ceiling who each represent a different continent (including a fascinating pseudo-depiction of a Native American), and the archway with golden representations of the North Hemisphere's six …

Greenwich, part of London but just far enough away from the center to make it seem like a place apart. It's not even on the underground network, you need to take the Docklands Light Railway, itself an interesting journey through Canary Wharf along the way.
But back to Greenwich, of all the London boroughs outside of Westminster and The City of London, Greenwich offers the most diverse sights.
Alongside the river is the old Royal Naval College, there are some fabulous Georgian buildings on the site that you can visit. It's also home to the National Maritime Museum.
Nearby is the restored, Cutty Sark (picture), one of last British clippers built in 1869.
If you're feeling adventurous, right next to the Cutty Sark is the entrance to the Greenwich foot tunnel that connects Greenwich with Millwall, on the north side of the river Thames.
South of the old Royal Naval College, Greenwich boasts its own royal palace, the Palace of Placentia, originally a 15th century building but the one we see today was rebuilt in 1660.
Behind the Palace of Placentia, stretches the enormous Greenwich park, head up the hill and you come to the world famous Greenwich Royal Observatory (in fact there are several buildings spread over the site that make up the observatory). Originally commissioned in 1675 by King Charles II, it played a major role in the history of astronomy and navigation. The prime meridian runs through Greenwich for this very reason and the time zone known …

I have been to Greenwich twice now and greatly enjoyed both visits. It is readily accessible from two of London’s other WHS and, appropriately for a maritime site, the quickest way from Westminster to Greenwich is often using the river bus along the Thames. It is also a short jaunt on the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) from the Tower Gateway station, near the Tower of London, to Cutty Sark station, which lies just outside the core zone. The railway line travels beneath the towering skyscrapers of Canary Wharf, for many years the tallest in the UK, and the Georgian elegance of Greenwich is an intriguing clash to the giant pillars of steel and glass across the river. There is a foot tunnel under the river linking both sides that was opened in 1902 and is still operational. Since then, the northern side has been totally transformed from a bustling dockyard at the heart of an imperial trade network to a forest of high-rise buildings that are a hub for bankers and other financial services (the reader can draw their own conclusions about how much has really changed vis-à-vis the balance of wealth around the globe). Meanwhile the south bank has hardly changed since the height of Britain’s naval power in the 18th Century.

Whilst there was a royal palace at Greenwich on the banks of the Thames from the 14th Century, there is no sign of it now and the oldest building that survives to the present is the …

I visited this WHS in June 2013. I used the underground and walked by the Cutty Sark, the Naval College, the Discover Greenwich information centre and up to the Royal Observatory and Park. The museum is very interesting and helps you appreciate the site better. I took a quick photo on the prime meridian line and saw the red ball drop at around 11:30. An interesting half day trip from London City Centre and it certainly deserves WHS status.

Greenwich is the name that commonly appeared since one of the first things that travelers normally do before travelling aboard is checking the differences of local time and the Greenwich Mean Time which is the international time standard, so coming to England and not visit the place is not a wise way to spend time in this country. On my last day in England, I went to Greenwich which is very easily accessible by tube and DLR systems.

The village of Greenwich was quite lovely with its rural village styled with many cute shops and restaurants. I walked along the river Thames to see the famous clipper, Cutty Sark, along the way there were many banners of the Royal Borough of Greenwich, celebrating the new royal status bestowed by Queen Elizabeth II last year. Then I went to the large complex of Royal Naval Collage, I was surprised that most of the people I saw was students at University of Greenwich which I leant later that the university uses the complex as their campus. The complex is designed by the famous Christopher Wren, I really liked his design that separating the complex into four parts with open courtyard in the middle while the Queen's House is located far behind, forming a nice landscape link for all these buildings from River Thames. I was very disappointed that I did not have a chance to see interior of these three buildings due to its closing for renovation.

Then …

London is one of my favourite cities in Europe and Greenwich is one of my favourite places in London. I've been several times in London, most recently in August 2010, and each time I visited Greenwich. In my view, the Royal Greenwich Observatory is the most beautiful place of the WHS. The view from the observatory to the Queen's House, the Royal Naval College, and the modern office buildings on the Isle of Dog in the background is marvellous (photo). On the roof of the observatory a red Time Ball was installed. This ball is still being pulled up every day and falls down exactly at 1 pm. Once the ships on the Thames used this procedure to set their chronometers to the exact Greenwich Mean Time. The problem of exact time measurement and thus the accurate determination of longitude of a ship at sea and how it was resolved is a major theme of the museum. There you can admire the historic marine chronometers by John Harrison. And of course I stood on the prime meridian and took a photo of my feet.

Also worth a visit are the Painted Hall at the King William Building and the Queen's House with the tulip stairs. Part of the WHS is also the lovely centre of Greenwich with its Georgian and Victorian buildings. And it's funny to walk through the Greenwich foot tunnel (not for people with claustrophobia) to the opposite bank of the Thames. There you can enjoy the view …

This is the third of London’s four UNESCO site’s to be added to the WHC list, and it is one of my favourite parts of the city. The Town of Greenwich (gren-itch) itself is a quaint place and has a much more relaxed atmosphere than the rest of the city. Greenwich was included for both its architecture and its role in the scientific developments. The Old Royal Naval College is the largest building in the site, and provides it’s highlight in the Painted Hall which is features the finest Baroque decorative paintings in Britain and it is breathtaking I must admit.

The highlight of the scientific side is the Royal Observatory up on the hill through which runs the Greenwich Meridian which divides the globe into an Eastern and Western hemispheres. The museum here is very interesting especially if you like clocks! And to make things better all of the museum’s here are now free, as most of the world class museums of London now are! The park is a really nice place to sit and relax and there is also the Cutty Sark ship so you should plan on spending at least half a day here to get the best out of it.

It is reasonably easy to get out to Greenwich, the Docklands Light Railway runs there from central London (one station next to the Tower of London!) or you can get a boat down the Thames if you want a more relaxed way to get there.

Greenwich is a site that truly deserves its listing on the WHS. Apart from being very easy to reach from central London, Greenwich's importance in the fields of science, navigation, and world exploration is really universal. I first went there on a warm summer evening in 2002, when all the buildings were already closed, including the Royal Observatory with the Prime Meridian. It was still a great place for a stroll, but of course I had to return one day to see everything. Over 10 years later, I finally came back to London and made sure to set aside a full day for Greenwich and all its attractions. The first thing you see when you step out from the foot tunnel (recommended because you can see the full panorama from the opposite bank of the Thames) is the former tea clipper Cutty Sark which is really very interesting to visit. The Royal Observatory is a bit uphill in the large park, and you should time your visit to be in the courtyard at 1 p.m. to see the famous time ball drop. You will probably stand in line there anyway to get a chance at taking a picture of your feet straddling the Prime Meridian. Both the Observatory and the huge National Maritime Museum include very interesting exhibitions on science, navigation, and history. I also visited the Queen's House, the last remaining buiding of the former Royal Palace of Greenwich, as well as parts of the town's historic centre, also …

Greenwich is part of London, but actually more a kind of village to itself. Going there via the Dockland Railway you pass glittering skyscrapers and modern industrial scenery.

The National Maritime Museum is one of the attractions here: large, with well-presented exhibits. Next door is the Queen's House, a small white building where you really have to see the inside (lovely rooms!). On the hill behind these two buildings is the Royal Observatory - another must-see.

Besides these monuments, Greenwich is also a very attractive place for a walk. The distances are not big, and there are things to see on almost every street. The whole village has a good atmosphere. I found it a great destination for a weekend trip.