Greenwich Day

Woke up to a misty grey morning that cleared swiftly to a bright blue sky. Made my way from my friend's to the Cutty Sark DLR where I met up with the rest of my course colleagues - first time really since our exams finished - and our guide for the CPD day - Rob Williamson.

Made our way up the hill to the Royal Observatory where there was a fantastic view over London - you could see the O2 arena, the new Olympic stadium in the distance, Canary Wharf and even as far round as St Paul's Cathedral. The area where the famous buildings and park are in Greenwich is actually a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Greenwich with Canary Wharf in the background

The photo above looks down on the Park, originally Royal hunting land from the 15th Century. The buildings you can see from the foreground backwards is the Queen's House, then the Royal Naval Hospital which is now part of the University of Greenwich. In the distance are the office blocks of Canary Wharf and on the horizon on the far right in the distance is the new 2012 Olympic stadium being built.

We started, however, at Greenwich Royal Observatory, where we spent a short time investigating the different exhibitions on display to the public and of course straddling the Meridian line which is used to set GMT and world time! Interestingly there were actually 4 Meridian lines over the course of history - we are currently using the Aria Meridian.

Royal Observatory - Octagon Room and Timeball

Greenwich Meridian

We then headed to the Queen's House which is free to go into and definitely worth a visit. It is the first truly Classical house built in Britain, by the architect Inigo Jones in the 17th Century for King James I wife, Anne of Denmark. The queen mainly associated with this "summer house" however, was the widow of King Charles I, Queen Henrietta-Maria. It is fascinating to stand under the collonades and marvel at the fact that this was in the 17th Century the main road into London and the house was actually built so the road ran underneath it! Inside you can really appreciate the geometrically precise proportions and marvel at the first cantilever staircase in England. There are also some very important paintings on display in the rooms, including a Canaletto, and portraits of Tudor, Stuart and Jacobean Kings and Queens all associated with Greenwich.

You can actually travel by water to Greenwich as there is a pier near to the Cutty Sark, currently under restoration after the 2007 fire, where visitors can disembark. It is worth remembering that if you come by boat you will be travelling the way that most monarchs did to and from London. The site of the Royal Naval Hospital is in fact on land where once stood the Tudor Palace of Greenwich. It was here that King Henry VIII was born as well as his 2 daughters, Queen Elizabeth I and Queen Mary I, as well as the site that Henry's only son and heir, King Edward VI died shortly before his 16th birthday in 1553. Inside the National Maritime Museum is one of the state barges used in the 18th Century by the Royal family to travel up and down the Thames.

Royal Barge in N.M.M

Inside the National Maritime Museum (which is free to go into, although donations always appreciated) you can also see a jacket of Britain's most famous seafarer - Admiral Lord Nelson. Nelson's body was actually laid out in the Painted Hall in the old Royal Naval Hospital when his body was brought back to England after the Battle of Trafalgar, before his funeral at St Paul's Cathedral. Usually on display in the Museum is the bloodstained jacket removed from Nelson's body after his death (the bullet that killed him you can see at Windsor Castle), however, it is currently under restoration and will hopefully be back on public display next year. In the meantime on display is the jacket he wore during his campaign on the Nile against Napoleon. I have to say that when you do look at it, it makes you realise that Nelson was a very slight and small man.

Admiral Lord Nelson

After lunch we proceeded to the old Royal Naval Hospital, built by Sir Christopher Wren, and visited the stunning Baroque Painted Hall and the beautiful Chapel. Both again are free to visitors but few realise they are open to the public, and are well worth discovering.

Painted Hall

The painted hall is a testament to the work of the artist James Thornhill in the 17th Century and is breathtaking when you go inside. He took 19 years to complete the paintings, a real labour of love, and its allegorical theme is that of Peace and Liberty over Tyranny. It depicts King William III and Queen Mary in the centre with England's enemy, King Louis XIV in a yellow cloak (the colour of cowards) under King William's feet. Apparently this room was intended to be the hospital patients' dining hall, however it took so long to complete and was so chilly to dine in every day that it was only ever used for ceremonial and important dinners. Thornhill even wrote a guide to the paintings as they were so detailed and the hospital residents would take visitors around using this guide.

The Chapel

Originally the Chapel would have been of the same Baroque style as the Painted Hall, however a fire in the late 18th Century saw it destroyed. Out of the gutted remains came this beautiful and peaceful chapel by James "Athenian" Stuart in the Greek revival style popular at the time. There are many reminders as you look around the chapel of Wedgewood's Jasperware, and of course Wedgewood was influenced by this Greek revival style, popular in the late 18th Century. The chapel is still a place of worship today.

I hope my blog has given you a small taster of this marvellous and varied site. It is definitely worth a visit and as I have completed the CPD day I can offer walking tours around the site and Greenwich village itself if anyone is interested.

Greenwich Old Royal Naval Hospital with the Queen's House in the background and the Royal Observatory up on the hill