free things to see and do in London
Visit Greenwich, a world heritage site long associated with royalty and maritime history.
See popular London tourist attractions such as the National Maritime Museum, the Royal Observatory and the Cutty Sark.
The Walk
This walk begins and ends at Greenwich Pier
On arrival at Greenwich Pier, head along the river front towards the dome-topped building on your right
Greenwich Foot Tunnel
The Greenwich Foot Tunnel was built in 1899 for the dockers who worked and
lived on different sides of the Thames.
It connects Greenwich in the south with the Isle of
Dogs in the north (and hence with the rest of London's Docklands area, including Canary
Wharf).
It is open to the public 24 hours a day.
Did You Know?
The name Greenwich
means either "green village" in Anglo-Saxon or "green reach" in old Norse.
look across the river to the Millennium Dome
Millennium Dome
Across the river, you can see the Millennium Dome, which was the focal
point of Britain's new year celebrations in 1999 / 2000.
Public support for the Dome both before and after it opened was mixed. Though
some people felt that the amount
spent on it (over £758 million) could have been better spent on public services
such as hospitals, others were pleased it was built as it brought prosperity to a deprived part of London.
Did You Know?
There is evidence
of both Roman and Saxon settlements at Greenwich, and in the middle ages
it was a fishing village. During the reign of Henry VII it
became the seat of the monarchy but was only in the 1600's that Greenwich
really became a town, being favoured by the aristocracy.
turn towards the town centre and stop beside the Cutty Sark ship
Cutty Sark
The Cutty Sark was built in 1869 as a tea clipper. At one stage in its history, it was the fastest freight ship in the world.
In 1885 it began transporting wool from Australia to Britain.
It has been in dry dock since 1954 and was badly damaged by fire in May, 2007. It is not currently open to the public as there is a major restoration project underway. However, there is an exhibition tent on site where you can read more about the ship.
Did You Know?
Henry VIII and
all his children (Mary I, Elizabeth I and Edward VI) were born in Greenwich
and it became the favourite place of the Tudors. It is also the place where
the London Marathon starts from each year in April.
walk
past Cutty Sark, along Greenwich Church Street and turn left down Turnpin Lane into Greenwich Market
There has been a market in Greenwich for hundreds of years. In 1700 the Commissioners
of Greenwich Hospital were formally given permission to hold a market
in Greenwich for 1,000 years. The market is usually open every Saturday and Sunday but is not open during weekdays.
The buildings in Turnpin Lane date from the early 1800's.
Did You Know?
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.
And Asteroid 2830 was named Greenwich in recognition of its astronomical links.
exit the market into Nelson Road, and turn left along King William Walk. Enter Greenwich park and walk up the hill
Greenwich Park was the first royal park in London to be enclosed. In 1433 Henry V's brother, the Duke of Gloucester, was granted a licence to "empark" the land and enclose it within a wall. He also built a manor house in the park and the house was later rebuilt as Greenwich Palace by Henry VII.
The park currently covers an area of 73 hectares (183 acres).
Did You Know?
The Duke
of Gloucester (founder of Greenwich Park) left a vast collection of manuscripts
to Oxford University which formed the basis of the famous Bodleian Library.
His wife was suspected of being a witch and Henry VI committed her for
high treason.
Bronze Age tribes settled in Greenwich Park and a Roman villa was built
in it.
continue up the hill to the Old Royal Observatory
Founded by Charles II in 1675 and built by Sir Christopher Wren, the Royal Observatory was the first purpose-built scientific research facility in Britain. It's main purpose was to measure time, with the Greenwich Meridian being 0 degrees longitude (the Prime Meridian) - the place from which all time around the world is measured (as in "Greenwich Mean Time").
It is now no longer operational. Instead, it houses an impressive collection of all things astronomical, including old chronometers and telescopes.
The Meridian line crosses the Observatory
courtyard (and Greenwich Park) and there is an electronic clock displayed within the Observatory.
Did You Know?
The orange ball on the roof of the Observatory was used to signal to sailors at sea when it was 1pm. It still rises to the top of the pole each day and at 1pm falls again.
Until the 18th
century each country used its own capital city as the zero point from which
to measure longtitude.
At the 1884 international conference for navigators it was agreed that the
Greenwich meridian (zero longtitude) should become the prime meridian for
the world, from which time and distance would be measured.
exit
down the hill back towards the town centre and follow the signs to the National Maritime Museum
The largest maritime museum in the world, it has recently been re-designed
both internally and externally (including the construction of a glass roof).
Its collection includes 2,500 ship models, 750,000 ship plans and hundreds of globes, chronometers and pieces of artwork depicting British seafaring.
Next to the museum is the Queens House, designed by Inigo Jones, Sir Christopher
Wren and Nicholas Hawksmoor.
Did You Know?
In 1737, Samuel
Johnson went to live in Greenwich. Another resident, General Wolfe, set
out for Quebec from Greenwich.
cross Romney Road and walk down Park Row until the corner with Crane Street
The Trafalgar Tavern was built in 1837 and up until 1883 it held
Ministerial "whitebait" dinners at the end of each session of
Parliament. Famous visitors to the tavern have included Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins.
Crane Street is so-called because ships used to be unloaded by cranes along it.
Did You Know?
There used to be two fairs
held at Greenwich : the Easter fair and Whitsun fair.
The easter fair is
mentioned in Thackeray's Sketches and Travels in London. Dickens also describes
the fair in Sketches by Boz, calling it "a sort of rash; a three days'
fever which cools the blood for six months afterwards".
turn
right along Crane Street and stop in front of the white building on the
left : Trinity Hospital.
Trinity Hospital was founded in 1613 by the Earl of Northampton to house
20 poor, retired men. His tomb is in the chapel. If you wish to view the lovely gardens and building, you must arrange an appointment with the Warden.
Behind the hospital is Greenwich power station, built in 1906. It provides a reserve power supply for the London Underground.
Did You Know?
The Royal Naval College was founded in 1694 as the Royal Hospital for Seamen. It closed in 1869 and re-opened 4 years later as the Royal Naval College.
It has recently closed and the buildings now house the University of Greenwich.
you have now completed this walk ...... I hope you enjoyed it
return along the Thames Path to Greenwich Pier
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