Greenwich (pronounced /ˈɡrɛnɪtʃ/ ( listen) gren-itch, /ˈɡrɛnɪdʒ/ gren-idge, or /ˈɡrɪnɪdʒ/ grin-idge)^[1][2] is a district of south South London is the southern part of London, England. The area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes. Common to these definitions is that it includes districts located south of the River Thames and is used in comparison with North London London London is a leading global city being the world's largest financial centre alongside New York City, and has the largest city GDP in Europe. Central London is home to the headquarters of most of the UK's top 100 listed companies and more than 100 of Europe's 500 largest. London's influence in politics, finance, education, entertainment, media,, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich The London Borough of Greenwich (pronounced /ˈɡrɛnɪtʃ/ ) is an Inner London borough in south-east London, England. Taking its name from the historic town of Greenwich, the present borough was formed in 1965 by the amalgamation of the former area of the Metropolitan Borough of Greenwich with part of the Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich to the.

Greenwich is best known for its maritime history and as giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian The Prime Meridian and its opposite the 180th meridian , which the International Date Line generally follows, form a great circle that divides the Earth into the Eastern and Western Hemispheres (0° longitude) and Greenwich Mean Time Greenwich Mean Time is a term originally referring to mean solar time at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London. It is the same as Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) and when this is viewed as a time zone the name Greenwich Mean Time is especially used by bodies connected with the United Kingdom, such as the BBC World Service, the Royal Navy,. The town became the site of a Royal palace, the Palace of Placentia The Palace of Placentia was an English Royal Palace built by Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester in 1447, in Greenwich, on the banks of the River Thames, downstream from London. The Palace was demolished in the seventeenth century and replaced with the Greenwich Hospital in the late seventeenth century from the 15th century, and was the birthplace of many in the House of Tudor The House of Tudor was a prominent European royal house that ruled the Kingdom of England and its realms from 1485 until 1603. Its first monarch Henry Tudor, descended paternally from the rulers of the Welsh principality of Deheubarth, and maternally from a legitimised branch of the English royal House of Lancaster. The Tudor family rose to power, including Henry VIII Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was also Lord of Ireland (later King of Ireland) and claimant to the Kingdom of France. Henry was the second monarch of the House of Tudor, succeeding his father, Henry VII and Elizabeth I Elizabeth I was Queen regnant of England and Queen regnant of Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called the Virgin Queen, Gloriana, Oriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty. The daughter of Henry VIII, she was born a princess, but her mother, Anne Boleyn, was executed two and a. The palace fell into disrepair during the English Civil War The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists. The first (1642–46) and second (1648–49) civil wars pitted the supporters of King Charles I against the supporters of the Long Parliament, while the third war (1649–51) saw fighting between supporters of King Charles II and was rebuilt as the Royal Naval Hospital for Sailors by Sir Christopher Wren Sir Christopher Wren was one of the best known and highest acclaimed English architects in history, responsible for rebuilding 55 churches in the City of London after the Great Fire in 1666, including his masterpiece, St. Paul's Cathedral, completed in 1710 and his assistant Nicholas Hawksmoor Nicholas Hawksmoor was a British architect born to a humble family in Nottinghamshire. These buildings became the Royal Naval College The Old Royal Naval College is the architectural centrepiece of Maritime Greenwich a World Heritage Site in Greenwich London, described by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation as being of “outstanding universal value” and reckoned to be the “finest and most dramatically sited architectural and landscape in 1873, and they remained an establishment for military education until 1998 when they passed into the hands of the Greenwich Foundation. The historic rooms within these buildings remain open to the public; other buildings are used by University of Greenwich and the Trinity College of Music.

The town became a popular resort in the 17th century with many grand houses, such as Vanbrugh castle established on Maze Hill, next to the park. From the Georgian period estates of houses were constructed above the town centre. The maritime connections of Greenwich were celebrated in the 20th century, with the sitting of the Cutty Sark The Cutty Sark is a clipper ship. Built in 1869, she served as a merchant vessel , and then as a training ship until being put on public display in 1954. She is preserved in dry dock in Greenwich, London. Badly damaged by fire on 21 May 2007 while undergoing conservation, the vessel is being restored and is expected to reopen in Spring 2011. The and Gipsy Moth IV next to the river front, and the National Maritime Museum The National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England is the leading maritime museum of the United Kingdom and may be the largest museum of its kind in the world. The historic buildings forming part of the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site, it also incorporates the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, and 17th-century Queen's House. The museum is a non- in the former buildings of the Royal Hospital School The Royal Hospital School, , is a British co-educational independent boarding school with military traditions. It admits pupils from age 11 to 18 (years 7 to 13) through Common Entrance or the school's own exam. The College of William & Mary, located in the United States, is the sister institution. The school is regulated by Acts of Parliament in 1934. Greenwich formed part of Kent Kent's location between London and the continent has led to its being in the front line of several conflicts, including the Battle of Britain during World War II. East Kent was named Hell Fire Corner during the conflict. England has relied on the county's ports to provide warships through much of the past 800 years; the Cinque Ports in the 12th–1 until 1889 when the County of London The County of London was a county of England from 1889 to 1965, corresponding to the area today known as Inner London. It was created as part of the general introduction of elected county government in England, by way of the Local Government Act 1888. The Act created an administrative County of London, which included within its territory the City was created.

History

Toponomy

Grenewic, or Grenevic originates with the Saxons The Saxons were a confederation of Old Germanic tribes. Their modern-day descendants in Lower Saxony and Westphalia and other German states are considered ethnic Germans (the state of Sachsen is not inhabited by ethnic Saxons; the state of Sachsen-Anhalt is, though, in its northern and western parts); those in the eastern Netherlands are, and is literally the green village or the village on the green.^[3] It became known as East Greenwich to distinguish it from West Greenwich or Deptford Strond, the part of Deptford Deptford is an area on the south bank of the River Thames in south-east London. The area is named after a ford of the River Ravensbourne, and from the mid 16th century to the late 19th was home to Deptford Dockyard, the first of the Royal Dockyards. This was a major shipbuilding dock and attracted Peter the Great to come and study shipbuilding adjacent to the Thames The River Thames (pronounced /ˈtɛmz/ temz) is a major river flowing through southern England. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows through several other towns and cities, including Oxford, Reading and Windsor,^[4] but the use of East Greenwich to mean the whole of the town of Greenwich died out in the 19th century. However, Greenwich was divided into the two Poor Law Unions of Greenwich East and Greenwich West from the beginning of Civil registration in 1837, the boundary running down what is now Greenwich Church Street and Crooms Hill, although more modern references to "East" and "West" Greenwich probably refer to the areas east and west of the Royal Naval College The Old Royal Naval College is the architectural centrepiece of Maritime Greenwich a World Heritage Site in Greenwich London, described by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation as being of “outstanding universal value” and reckoned to be the “finest and most dramatically sited architectural and landscape and National Maritime Museum The National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England is the leading maritime museum of the United Kingdom and may be the largest museum of its kind in the world. The historic buildings forming part of the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site, it also incorporates the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, and 17th-century Queen's House. The museum is a non- corresponding with the West Greenwich council ward In Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States, a ward is an electoral district within a municipality used in local politics. Wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected to the area. It is common in. An article in The Times The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of News International. News International is entirely owned by the News Corporation group, headed by Rupert Murdoch. Though traditionally a moderately centre-right newspaper and a supporter of the Conservatives, it supported the Labour Party in of 13 October 1967 stated:

East Greenwich, gateway to the Blackwall Tunnel The Blackwall Tunnel is a pair of road tunnels underneath the River Thames in east London, linking the London Borough of Tower Hamlets with the London Borough of Greenwich, and part of the A102 road. The northern portal lies just south of the East India Dock Road in Blackwall;A the southern entrances are just south of the The O2 (formerly the, remains solidly working class Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average material. Working classes are mainly found in industrialized economies and in urban areas of non-industrialized economies, the manpower for one eighth of London's heavy industry Heavy industry does not have a single fixed meaning as compared to light industry. It can mean production of products which are either heavy in weight or in the processes leading to their production. In general, it is a popular term used within the name of many Japanese and Korean firms, meaning 'construction' for big projects. Example projects. West Greenwich is a hybrid: the spirit of Nelson, the Cutty Sark, the Maritime Museum, an industrial waterfront and a number of elegant houses, ripe for development.^[5]

Early settlement

Tumuli A tumulus is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, Hügelgrab or kurgans, and can be found throughout much of the world. A tumulus composed largely or entirely of stones is usually referred to as a cairn. A long barrow is a long tumulus, usually for numbers of burials to the south-west of Flamsteed House,^[6] in Greenwich Park Greenwich Park is a former hunting park in Greenwich and one of the largest single green spaces in south east London. One of the Royal Parks of London, and the first to be enclosed , it covers 74 hectares (180 acres), and is part of the Greenwich World Heritage Site. It commands fine views over the River Thames, Isle of Dogs and the City of London, are thought to be early Bronze Age The Bronze Age of a culture is the period when the most advanced metalworking in that culture used bronze. This could either have been based on the local smelting of copper and tin from ores, or trading for bronze from production areas elsewhere. Many, though not all, Bronze Age cultures flourished in prehistory barrows re-used by the Saxons in the 6th century as burial grounds. To the east between the Vanbrugh and Maze Hill Gates is the site of a Roman villa or temple. A small area of red paving tesserae A tessera is an individual tile in a mosaic, usually formed in the shape of a cube. It is also known as an abaciscus, abaculus, or, in Persian کاشي معرق. In antiquity, mosaics were formed from naturally colored pebbles, but by 200 BC purpose-made tesserae were being used. Marble or limestone was cut into small cubes that were arranged into protected by railings marks the spot. It was excavated in 1902 and 300 coins were found dating from the emperors Claudius Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus was the fourth Roman Emperor and a member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, ruling from 24 January AD 41 to his death in AD 54. Born in Lugdunum in Gaul (modern-day Lyon, France) to Drusus and Antonia Minor, he was the first Roman emperor to be born outside Italia and Honorius Flavius Honorius was Roman Emperor (393–395) and then Western Roman Emperor from 395 until his death. He was the younger son of Theodosius I and his first wife Aelia Flaccilla, and brother of the Eastern Emperor Arcadius to the 4th century.

The Roman road The Roman roads were roads built by the Roman empire, intended for quick transport of material from one location to another, for cattle, vehicles, or any similar traffic along the path. They were essential for the growth of the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate news. The Roman road from London to Dover Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings. The town is the administrative centre of the, Watling Street Watling Street is the name given to an ancient trackway in England and Wales that was first used by the Celts mainly between the modern cities of Canterbury and St Albans. The Romans later paved the route, part of which is identified on the Antonine Itinerary as Iter III: "Item a Londinio ad portum Dubris" - from London to the port of crossed the high ground to the south of Greenwich, through Blackheath. This followed the line of an earlier Celtic The Iron Age and Roman-era Celts were a diverse group of tribal societies in Europe who spoke Celtic languages route from Canterbury Canterbury (pronounced /ˈkæntərbri/ ( listen) or /ˈkæntərbɛri/) is an English city which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour to St Albans St Albans is a city in southern Hertfordshire, England, around 22 miles (35 km) north of central London, which forms the main urban area of the City and District of St Albans. It was a settlement of pre-Roman origin named Verlamion by the Ancient British, Catuvellauni tribe. It became the first major town on the old Roman road of Watling Street.^[7] As late as Henry V Henry V was King of England from 1413 until his death. From an unassuming start, his military successes in the Hundred Years' War, culminating with his famous victory at the Battle of Agincourt, saw him come close to uniting the realms of England and France under his rule, Greenwich was only a fishing town, with a safe anchorage in the river.^[4]

Alphege and the Danes

During the reign of Ethelred the Unready Æthelred the Unready, or Æthelred II , was king of the English (978–1013 and 1014–1016). He was son of King Edgar and Queen Ælfthryth. Æthelred was only about 10 (no more than 13) when his half-brother Edward was murdered. Æthelred was not personally suspected of participation, but as the murder was committed at Corfe Castle by the, the Danish The Danes were a North Germanic tribe residing in modern day southern Sweden and on the Danish islands . They are mentioned in the 6th century in Jordanes' Getica, by Procopius, and by Gregory of Tours fleet anchored in the river Thames off Greenwich for over three years, with the army being encamped on the hill above. From here they attacked Kent Kent's location between London and the continent has led to its being in the front line of several conflicts, including the Battle of Britain during World War II. East Kent was named Hell Fire Corner during the conflict. England has relied on the county's ports to provide warships through much of the past 800 years; the Cinque Ports in the 12th–1, and in the year 1012, took the city of Canterbury Canterbury (pronounced /ˈkæntərbri/ ( listen) or /ˈkæntərbɛri/) is an English city which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour, making Alphege Ælfheah , officially remembered by the name Alphege within the Church, and also called Elphege, Alfege, or Godwine, was an Anglo-Saxon Bishop of Winchester, later Archbishop of Canterbury. He became an anchorite before being elected abbot of Bath Abbey. His perceived piety and sanctity led to his promotion to the episcopate, and eventually, to the Archbishop their prisoner for seven months in their camp at Greenwich. They stoned him to death for his refusal to allow his ransom (3,000 pieces of silver) to be paid and kept his body, until the blossoming of a stick that had been immersed in his blood. For this miracle his body was released to his followers, he achieved sainthood for his martyrdom, and in the 12th century the parish church was dedicated to him. The present church on the site west of the town centre is St Alfege's Church, designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor Nicholas Hawksmoor was a British architect born to a humble family in Nottinghamshire in 1714 and completed in 1718. Some vestiges of the Danish camps may be traced in the names of Eastcombe and Westcombe, on the borders of nearby Blackheath Blackheath is an area in southeast London, centred around a section of open public grassland and straddling the boundary of the London Borough of Lewisham and the London Borough of Greenwich. The focal point of Blackheath is its centre which is known as the Village. The borough boundary runs across the middle of the heath; much of Blackheath.^[3]

Royal Greenwich

The Domesday Book The Domesday Book is the record of the great survey of England completed in 1086, executed for William I of England, or William the Conqueror. "While spending the Christmas of 1085 in Gloucester, William had deep speech with his counsellors and sent men all over England to each shire to find out what or how much each landholder had in land records the manor of Greenwich as held by the Bishop Odo of Bayeux Odo of Bayeux , Norman bishop and English earl, was the half-brother of William the Conqueror, and was for a time second only to the king in power in England; his lands were seized by the crown in 1082. A royal palace, or hunting lodge, has existed here since before 1300, when Edward I is known to have made offerings at the chapel of the Virgin Mary.^[3] Subsequent monarchs were regular visitors, with Henry IV making his will here, and Henry V granting the manor (for life) to Thomas Beaufort, Duke of Exeter, who died at Greenwich in 1417. The palace was created by Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, the regent to Henry VI in 1447; enclosing the park and erecting a tower on the spot of the Royal Observatory. It was renamed the Palace of Placentia or Pleasaunce by Henry VI's consort Margaret of Anjou after Humphrey's death. The palace was completed and further enlarged by Edward IV, and in 1466 it was granted to his Queen, Elizabeth.^[3]

The palace was the principal residence of Henry VII, and his sons, Henry (later Henry VIII) and Edmund Tudor were born here, and baptised in St Alphege's. Henry favoured Greenwich over nearby Eltham Palace, the former principal royal palace. Both Mary (February 18, 1516) and Elizabeth (September 7, 1533) were born at Greenwich. The palace of Placentia, in turn, became Elizabeth's favourite summer residence.^[3]

During the English Civil War, the palace was used as a biscuit factory and prisoner of war camp, then with the Interregnum, the palace and park were seized to become a 'mansion' for the Lord Protector. At The Restoration, the Palace of Placentia had fallen into disuse and was pulled down. New buildings began to be established as a grand palace for Charles II, but only the King Charles block was completed. It was suggested that the buildings be adapted for a Greenwich Hospital, designed by Wren, and later completed by Hawksmoor. Anne of Denmark had a house built by Inigo Jones on the hill above, overlooking the hospital and river - now the centrepiece of the National Maritime Museum,^[3] founded in 1934 and housed in the buildings of the former Royal Hospital School.

The Royal association with Greenwich was now broken, but the group of buildings remain that form the core of the World Historic Site.

To mark the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II, it was announced on 5 January 2010 that in 2012, the London Borough of Greenwich is to become the fourth Royal Borough, due to its historic links with the Royal Family, and its status as home of the Prime Meridian and as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.^[8]

Governance

Greenwich is covered by the Greenwich West and Peninsula wards of the London Borough of Greenwich, which was formed in 1965 by merging the former Metropolitan Borough of Greenwich with that part of the Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich which lay south of The Thames. Along with Blackheath Westcombe, Charlton, Glyndon, Woolwich Riverside, and Woolwich Common, it elects a Member of Parliament (MP) for Greenwich and Woolwich; currently the MP is Nick Raynsford.^[9]

Geography

Topography

The town of Greenwich is built on a broad platform to the south of the outside of a broad meander in the River Thames, with a safe deep water anchorage lying in the river. To the south, the land rises steeply, 100 feet (30 m) through Greenwich Park to the town of Blackheath. The higher areas consist of a sedimentary layer of gravely soils, known as the Blackheath Beds, that spread through much of the south east over a chalk outcrop – with sands, loam and seams of clay at the lower levels by the river.

Greenwich is bordered by Deptford Creek and Deptford to the west; the former industrial centre of the Greenwich Peninsula, and the residential area of Westcombe Park to the east; the river Thames to the north; and the A2 and Blackheath common to the south.

Climate

These data were collected between 1971 and 2000 at the weather station situated in Greenwich:

Sites of interest

Riverfront

The Cutty Sark (a clipper ship) has been preserved in a dry dock by the river. A major fire in May 2007 destroyed a part of the ship, although much had already been removed for restoration. Nearby for many years was also displayed Gipsy Moth IV, the 54 feet (16.5 m) yacht sailed by Sir Francis Chichester in his single-handed, 226-day circumnavigation of the globe during 1966–67. In 2004, Gipsy Moth IV was removed from Greenwich, and after restoration work completed a second circumnavigation in May 2007. On the riverside in front of the north-west corner of the Hospital is an obelisk erected in memory of Arctic explorer Joseph René Bellot.

Near the Cutty Sark site, a circular building contains the entrance to the Greenwich foot tunnel, opened on 4 August 1902. This connects Greenwich to the Isle of Dogs on the northern side of the River Thames. The north exit of the tunnel is at Island Gardens,^[11] from where the famous view of Greenwich Hospital painted by Canaletto can be seen.

Rowing has been part of life on the river at Greenwich for hundreds of years and the first Greenwich Regatta was held in 1785. The annual Great River Race along the Thames Tideway finishes at the Cutty Sark. The Trafalgar Rowing Centre in Crane Street close by is home to Curlew Rowing Club and Globe Rowing Club.

The Old Royal Naval College is Sir Christopher Wren's domed masterpiece at the centre of the heritage site. The site is administered by the Greenwich Foundation and several of the buildings are let to the University of Greenwich and one, the King Charles block, to Trinity College of Music. Within the complex is the former college dining room, the Painted Hall, this was painted by James Thornhill, and the Chapel of St Peter and St Paul, with an interior designed by James 'Athenian' Stuart. The Naval College had a training reactor, the JASON reactor, within the King William building that was operational between 1962 and 1996. The reactor was decommissioned and removed in 1999.^[12]

To the east of the Naval College is the Trinity Hospital almshouse, founded in 1613, the oldest surviving building in the town centre.^[13] This is next to the massive brick walls and the landing stage of Greenwich Power Station. Built between 1902 and 1910 as a coal-fired station to supply power to London's tram system, and later the London underground, it is now oil- and gas-powered and serves as a backup station for London Underground.^[14] East Greenwich also has a small park, East Greenwich Pleasaunce, which was formerly the burial ground of Greenwich Hospital.

The O₂ (formerly the Millennium Dome) was built on a disused British Gas site on the Greenwich Peninsula.^[15] It is next to North Greenwich tube station, about 3 miles (4.8 km) east from the Greenwich town centre, North West of Charlton. The Greenwich Millennium Village is a new urban regeneration development to the south of the Dome.

Greenwich park

Behind the former Naval College is the National Maritime Museum housed in buildings forming another symmetrical group and grand arcade around the Queen's House, designed by Inigo Jones. Continuing to the south, Greenwich Park is a Royal Park of 183 acres (0.7 km²), laid out in the 17th century and formed from the hunting grounds of the Royal Palace of Placentia.^[16]

The park rises towards Blackheath and at the top of this hill is a statue of James Wolfe, commander of the British expedition to capture Quebec,^[17] nearby a major group of buildings within the park is the former Royal Observatory, Greenwich and the Prime Meridian passes through the building. Greenwich Mean Time was at one time based on the time observations made at the Royal Greenwich Observatory, before being superseded by Coordinated Universal Time. While Greenwich no longer hosts a working astronomical observatory, a ball still drops daily to mark the exact moment of 1 p.m., and there is a museum of astronomical and navigational tools, particularly John Harrison's marine chronometers.^[18]

The Ranger's House lies at the Blackheath end of the park and houses the Wernher Collection of art,^[19] and many fine houses, including Vanbrugh's house lie on Maze Hill, on the western edge of the park.

Town centre

Georgian and Victorian architecture dominates in the town centre which spreads to the west of the park and Royal Naval college. Much of this forms a one-way system around a covered market, Greenwich Market and the arthouse Greenwich Cinema. Up the hill, from the centre there are many streets of Georgian houses, including the world's only museum dedicated to fans, the Fan Museum, on Croom's Hill. Nearby at the junction of Croom's Hill with Nevada Street, is Greenwich Theatre, formerly Crowder's Music Hall - one of two Greenwich theatres, the other being the Greenwich Playhouse.

Greenwich Mean Time

Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) is a term originally referring to mean solar time at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich. It is commonly used in practice to refer to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) when this is viewed as a time zone, especially by bodies connected with the United Kingdom, such as the BBC World Service,^[20] the Royal Navy, the Met Office and others, although strictly UTC is an atomic time scale which only approximates GMT with a tolerance of 0.9 second. It is also used to refer to Universal Time (UT), which is a standard astronomical concept used in many technical fields and is referred to by the phrase Zulu time.

As the United Kingdom grew into an advanced maritime nation, British mariners kept at least one chronometer on GMT in order to calculate their longitude from the Greenwich meridian, which was by convention considered to have longitude zero degrees (this convention was internationally adopted in the International Meridian Conference of 1884). Note that the synchronization of the chronometer on GMT did not affect shipboard time itself, which was still solar time. But this practice, combined with mariners from other nations drawing from Nevil Maskelyne's method of lunar distances based on observations at Greenwich, eventually led to GMT being used worldwide as a reference time independent of location. Most time zones were based upon this reference as a number of hours and half-hours "ahead of GMT" or "behind GMT".

World heritage site

In 1997, Maritime Greenwich was added to the list of World Heritage Sites, for the concentration and quality of buildings of historic and architectural interest. These can be divided into the group of buildings along the riverfront, Greenwich park and the Georgian and Victorian town centre. In recognition of the suburb's astronomical links, Asteroid 2830 has been named 'Greenwich'.^[21]

Discover Greenwich Visitor Centre

The Discover Greenwich Visitor Centre provides an introduction to the history and attractions in the Greenwich World Heritage Site. It is located in the Pepys Buildings near to the Cutty Sark within the grounds of the Old Royal Naval College, (formerly Greenwich Hospital). The centre opened in March, 2010, and admission is free.^[22]

The Centre explains the history of Greenwich as a royal residence and a maritime centre. Exhibits include:

• The history of the Palace of Placentia.
• Models of Christopher Wren's original designs for Greenwich Hospital.
• Six of the carved heads originally intended to decorate the exterior of the College's Painted Hall.
• Exhibition displays about Maritime Greenwich and its connections with the sea and exploration.
• "By Wisdom as much as War" – an exhibition about the history of the Royal Naval College during the years it occupied Greenwich Hospital (1873–1998).

Greenwich Heritage Centre

Greenwich Heritage Centre is a museum and local history resource run by the London Borough of Greenwich,^[23] and is based in Artillery Square, in the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, south-east London.^[24]

It was established in October 2003, combining materials from the Greenwich Borough Museum and the local history library (previously at Woodlands House in Westcombe Park).^[25]

Economy

The market

There has been a market at Greenwich since the 14th century, but the history of the present market dates from 1700 when a charter to run two markets, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, was assigned by Lord Romney to the Commissioners of Greenwich Hospital for 1000 years.

Greenwich Market sits in Greenwich town centre within an area called the Island Site, which is bounded by College Approach, Greenwich Church Street, King William Walk and Nelson Road. The Island site forms part of the World Heritage Site, which also includes the National Maritime Museum, Old Royal Naval College, the Queens House and the Royal Observatory.

The buildings surrounding the market on the island site are Grade 2 listed, and were established in 1827-1833 under the direction of Joseph Kay. Later significant phases of development occurred in 1902-8; in 1958-60 and during the 1980s. The current market roof dates from 1902–08 and the buildings on either side of the market from 1958-60.

Greenwich Market trades five days a week but the shops, cafes, bars, pubs and restaurants around the Market are open seven days a week, including Greenwich Printmakers, the oldest-established printmaking co-operative in the UK.

Wednesday is a food and homewares market day, Thursdays and Fridays specialise in antiques and collectibles and arts and crafts. Weekends and bank holidays attract arts & crafts and food stalls.There are a wide selection of specialist shops, bars, restaurants and a café, all open seven days a week.

Plans to redevelop the market by its owners, Greenwich Hospital^[26], were unanimously rejected by Greenwich Council's Planning Board in August 2009.

Education

The University of Greenwich main campus is located in the distinctive buildings of the former Royal Naval College. There is a further campus of the university at Avery Hill in Eltham, and also, outside the borough, in Medway. Near the main campus at Greenwich, the Trinity College of Music is housed in the buildings of the former Greenwich Hospital.

Transport

Two railway lines cross Greenwich:^[27] the Greenwich Line, which runs west to east and follows the route of the London and Greenwich Railway, which was the first railway line in London,^[28][29] and links the South Eastern Main Line with the North Kent Line at Charlton; and the Docklands Light Railway (DLR), which runs north to south. Both lines are served by Greenwich station; with the DLR having a separate station at Cutty Sark DLR Station near the river, and the Greenwich Line having Maze Hill railway station to the east, on the boundary with Westcombe Park. DLR trains run from Lewisham to Bank and Stratford via Canary Wharf.^[30] The Greenwich Line carries trains from London Charing Cross and London Cannon Street in central London to Dartford in Kent, with a limited service to Gravesend, Kent and Gillingham, Medway. There are no London Underground stations in Greenwich itself - North Greenwich tube station on the Peninsula is the nearest tube station.

There are a number of river boat services running from Greenwich Pier, managed by London River Services. The main services include the Thames commuter catamaran service run by Thames Clipper from Embankment, via Tower Millennium Pier, Canary Wharf and on to the O₂ and Woolwich Arsenal Pier;^[31] the Wesminster-Greenwich cruise service by Thames River Services; and the City Cruises tourist cruise via Westminster, Waterloo and Tower piers.^[32]

Pedestrian and cyclists

The Thames Path National Trail runs along the riverside.^[33] The Greenwich foot tunnel provides pedestrian access to the southern end of the Isle of Dogs, across the river Thames.

National Cycle Network route 1 runs through the foot tunnel (although cycles must not be ridden in the tunnel itself).^[34]

See also

• List of people from Greenwich

References

1. ^ Wells, John C. (2000). Longman Pronunciation Dictionary (2nd edition ed.). Harlow: Pearson Education Limited. ISBN 0-582-36467-1.
2. ^ Jones, Daniel (1997). English Pronouncing Dictionary (15th edition ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-45903-6.
3. ^ ^{a b c d e f} 'Greenwich', The Environs of London: volume 4: Counties of Herts, Essex & Kent (1796), pp. 426-93 accessed: 26 May 2007
4. ^ ^{a b} Parishes: Greenwich, The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent: Volume 1 (1797), pp. 372-420
5. ^ "Greenwich-the instant village", Brandon Green praise him, The Times, 13 October 1967; pg. 11
6. ^ Flamsteed House - designed and built by Sir Christopher Wren in 1675-76, was the home of the first Astronomer Royal John Flamsteed and the heart of Charles II's new Royal Observatory.
7. ^ The Roman Watling Street: from London to High Cross O. Roucoux, (Dunstable Museum Trust, 1984) ISBN 0-9508406-2-9
8. ^ "Greenwich to become Royal Borough". Greenwich London Borough Council. 5 January 2010. http://www.greenwich.gov.uk/Greenwich/LeisureCulture/RoyalGreenwich/RoyalGreenwich.htm. Retrieved 5 January 2010.
9. ^ "ukpollingreport.co.uk » Greenwich and Woolwich". ukpollingreport.co.uk. http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/guide/seat-profiles/greenwichandwoolwich. Retrieved 2009-09-24.
10. ^ "Met Office: Climate averages 1971-2000". Met Office. http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/averages/19712000/sites/greenwich.html.
11. ^ The Foot Tunnel (Greenwich Guide) accessed 10 Dec 2007
12. ^ Just another source of neutrons? R.J.S. Lockwood and Prof. P.A. Beeley (Nuclear Dept., HMS Sultan, Gosport, 2001) accessed 29 Dec 2007
13. ^ Trinity Hospital (LB Greenwich) accessed 10 Dec 2007
14. ^ Greenwich Power Station (Powering the City) accessed 10 Dec 2007
15. ^ East Greenwich Gasworks (Powering the City) accessed 10 Dec 2007. The Greenwich Peninsula gas works, being themselves notable, as being the subject of an IRA bomb attack in the 1970s, in which one gasometer - and its contents - were spectacularly destroyed.
16. ^ Greenwich and Blackheath Past Felix Barker (Historical Publications Ltd., 1999) ISBN 0 948667 55 9
17. ^ General Wolfe Statue (Greenwich Guide) accessed 10 Dec 2007
18. ^ Greenwich Time and the Longitude Derek Howse (London: Philip Wilson, 1997) ISBN 0-85667-468-0
19. ^ The Wernher Collection (Ranger's House) (English Heritage) accessed 10 Dec 2007
20. ^ What is GMT? at the BBC Radio World Service
21. ^ Dictionary of Minor Planet Names Lutz D. Schmadel (Springer 2003) ISBN 3540002383
22. ^ "Greenwich Discover Greenwich Visitor Centre at Old Royal Naval College". wwww.oldroyalnavalcollege.org. http://www.oldroyalnavalcollege.org/discover-greenwich/. Retrieved 2010-06-03.
23. ^ "Greenwich Council - Heritage Centre - Greenwich Heritage Centre". www.greenwich.gov.uk. http://www.greenwich.gov.uk/Greenwich/LeisureCulture/HistoryAndHeritage/HeritageCentre/. Retrieved 2009-09-18.
24. ^ "Greenwich Heritage Centre - How To Find Us". www.greenwichheritage.org. http://www.greenwichheritage.org/howto/index.html. Retrieved 2009-09-18.
25. ^ "Combined services (From This Is Local London)". www.thisislocallondon.co.uk. http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/news/398196.combined_services/. Retrieved 2009-09-18.
26. ^ "- Greenwich Market Consultation". www.greenwichmarketconsultation.org.uk. http://www.greenwichmarketconsultation.org.uk/. Retrieved 2009-09-18.
27. ^ "Greenwich Council - Travel & transport - Travel". www.greenwich.gov.uk. http://www.greenwich.gov.uk/Greenwich/Travel/. Retrieved 2009-09-24.
28. ^ "London and Greenwich Railway". www.yellins.com. http://www.yellins.com/transporthistory/rail/l-and-g.html. Retrieved 2009-09-24.
29. ^ A history of the English railway ... - Google Books. books.google.com. http://books.google.com/books?id=A2RCAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA237&dq=London+and+Greenwich+Railway&as_brr=3&client=firefox-a#v=onepage&q=London%20and%20Greenwich%20Railway&f=false. Retrieved 2009-09-24.
30. ^ "Greenwich Council - Local travel services - Docklands Light Railway". www.greenwich.gov.uk. http://www.greenwich.gov.uk/Greenwich/Travel/LocalTravelServices/DocklandsLightRailway.htm. Retrieved 2009-09-24.
31. ^ "Greenwich Council - Local travel services - Thames Clipper". www.greenwich.gov.uk. http://www.greenwich.gov.uk/Greenwich/Travel/LocalTravelServices/ThamesClipper.htm. Retrieved 2009-09-24.
32. ^ "Greenwich Council - Local travel services - River boat cruises". www.greenwich.gov.uk. http://www.greenwich.gov.uk/Greenwich/Travel/LocalTravelServices/RiverBoatCruise.htm. Retrieved 2009-09-24.
33. ^ "The Thames Path - Greenwich to the London Eye". www.thames-path.org.uk. http://www.thames-path.org.uk/thames_greenwich_eye.html. Retrieved 2009-09-24.
34. ^ "National Cycle Network in London". Sustrans. http://www.sustrans.org.uk/sustrans-near-you/london/ncn-in-london. Retrieved 2009-09-24.

External links

London/Greenwich travel guide from Wikitravel

• Greenwich World Heritage Site — official website
• 'Greenwich', The Environs of London: volume 4: Counties of Herts, Essex & Kent (1796), pp. 426-93

Categories: Districts of London | World Heritage Sites in London | Districts of Greenwich | Districts of London on the River Thames | Districts of London listed in the Domesday Book

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