GREENWICH
Greenwich lies on the south bank of the Thames,
approximately five miles to the east of central London. Rich in maritime
history and with an outstanding architectural heritage, Greenwich's more
traditional attractions include many buildings designed by well-known English
architects, including the Royal Naval College, the National Maritime Museum and
the Old Royal Observatory situated in Greenwich Park, built by Sir Christopher
Wren for King Charles II. At the Observatory, visitors can stand astride
longitude zero with one foot in the eastern and the other in the western
hemisphere.
Greenwich Park
Where the Thames
reflects the crowded sail, Commercial care and busy toil prevail. Whose murky
veil, aspiring to the skies, Obscures thy beauty, and thy form denies, Save
where thy spires pierce thro the doubtful air, As gleams of hope amidst a world
of care.
The above poem is an
inscription on the painting "London from Greenwich Park (1809)",
by J.M.W. Turner (1775-1851), hanging in the Tate Gallery, London.
Greenwich Park: King William Walk,
Greenwich. Open daily all year round from dawn to dusk. London’s oldest Royal
Park, was once the hunting ground for King Henry VIII. Landscaped by André le
Notre, who designed the gardens of the Palace of Versailles. The Old Royal
Observatory is also located in the park.
Major-General James Wolfe (1727-1759)
In Greenwich Park,
next to the Observatory, is a bronze statue of Wolfe by Robert Tait McKenzie
looking out over London. The statue was erected in 1930 and bears the
inscription "This monument, a gift of the Canadian people, was unveiled by
the Marquis de Montcalm". The statue was hit by a V1 bomb during the last
war; the base still bears the scars.
General James Wolfe won a tremendous
victory at the battle of Quebec in 1759. His success allowed the British Empire
to seize Montreal and complete the conquest of Canada. During the battle,
General Wolfe found himself outmatched by the French Commander's superior
numbers and desperately sought an advantage over his adversary. He finally
discovered a narrow cove at the cliff base only 1.5 miles west of Quebec. At
nightfall on September 12, he led a line of darkened boats into what would be
forever called Wolfe's cove. As the dawn broke over the cliffs, the British
army attacked with double loaded muskets, completely decimating the French.
Armed with only a cane, Wolfe strolled along the ranks smiling and joking with
his men when he was stricken with a fatal wound and perished on the field.
The Royal Observatory
The Royal Observatory was founded on 22 June 1675 by King Charles II, and was
built specifically to do work which would help to solve the problem of finding
longitude - one's exact position east and west - while at sea and out of sight
of land. Charles II appointed John Flamsteed as his first Astronomer Royal in
March 1675. The 28-year old clergyman was instructed 'to apply himself with the
most exact care and diligence to the rectifying the tables of the motions of
the heavens, and the places of the fixed stars, so as to find out the so
much-desired longitude of places for the perfecting the art of navigation.'
Longitude was then impossible to calculate at sea and Flamsteed began his
observations to solve the longitude problem once and for all.
