Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
King's Speech
. Its core is a rose garden planted around a small lake alive with water-
fowl and spanned by Japanese bridges; in early summer, the rose perfume is heady in
the air. Rowboats and sailing dinghies are available from the
Boathouse
Café
(
&
020/7724-4069
) for £6.50 per adult and £4.40 per child for 1 hour.
Regent's Park, NW1.
&
020/7486-7905.
www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/regents_park. Free admission
daily 5am-dusk. Tube: Baker St., Great Portland St., or Regent's Park.
Southeast London—Greenwich
With the great skyscrapers of Canary Wharf to the north, and waves of faceless sub-
urbia to the south, Greenwich seems almost out of place—a royal theme park
smuggled into London's backwaters. It makes a great escape from the center of town,
with a look and ambience all its own. For the full effect, arrive by
Thames Clipper
boat (p. 82), which shows off the riverside architecture to its best effect.
National Maritime Museum
MUSEUM From the days of early seafar-
ers to 20th-century naval power, the National Maritime Museum illustrates the glory
that was Britain at sea. The cannon, relics, ship models, and paintings tell the story
of 1,000 naval battles and 1,000 victories (plus the odd defeat). The lower two floors
are divided into themed sections, including “Explorers,” “Maritime London,” and
“Atlantic Worlds,” and are filled with nautical oddities—everything from the dreaded
cat-o'-nine-tails used to flog sailors until 1879, to Nelson's Trafalgar coat, with the
fatal bullet hole in the left shoulder clearly visible.
Romney Rd., SE10.
&
020/8858-4422.
www.nmm.ac.uk. Free admission. Daily 10am-5pm. DLR: Cutty Sark.
Old Royal Naval College
HISTORIC SITE The great baroque waterfront
facade of this wonderfully grand structure offers perhaps the clearest distillation of
Greenwich's charms. UNESCO certainly thought so, describing it as the “finest and
most dramatically sited architectural . . . ensemble in the British Isles.” It's the work
of England's holy trinity of 17th-century architects: Wren, Hawksmoor, and Vanbrugh
(mostly Wren, in truth), and was designed in 1694 as a hospital for veteran sailors.
The pensioners moved out in 1873, when the complex became the Royal Naval Col-
lege. The Royal Navy finally ended its association with the building in 1998, since
when it has been home to part of the University of Greenwich. Just three sections are
open to the public: The Georgian chapel of
St. Peter and St. Paul,
where organ
recitals are often given; the magnificent
Painted Hall
by Sir James Thornhill,
where the body of Nelson lay in state in 1805; and the new
Discover Greenwich
Centre,
which contains an intriguing and interactive exhibition on the history of
Greenwich as well as the suburb's tourist information service.
Old Royal Naval College, SE10.
&
020/8269-4747.
www.oldroyalnavalcollege.org. Free admission.
Daily 10am-5pm. DLR: Cutty Sark.
Royal Observatory
HISTORIC SITE The home of
Greenwich Mean
Time,
the Observatory was designed by Sir Christopher Wren in the early 18th cen-
tury and boasts the country's largest refracting telescope (reserved for the use of
professional astronomers only, unfortunately), as well as a small collection of historic
timekeepers and astronomical instruments (which you're more than welcome to
browse). The highlight, however, is the
Planetarium
(opened in 2007, it's the only
one in the country), where effects-laden star shows are projected onto its ceiling.
Outside, overlooking Greenwich's serene park, you can enjoy one of London's most
popular photo opportunities, standing across the
Prime Meridian,
the line of 0°
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