Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
21
affording spectacular views over London, Kent and Surrey. A fantastic pleasure garden
was laid out around this giant glasshouse, with a complex system of fountains, some of
which reached a height of 250ft. Exhibitions, funfairs, a pneumatic railway and a whole
range of events were staged here. Despite its initial success, though, the palace soon
became a financial liability - then, in 1936, the structure burnt to the ground overnight.
All that remains now are the stone terraces, the triumphal staircase, a few sphinxes
and a small
museum
on nearby Anerley Hill that tells the history of the place.
Nowadays, the
park
is dominated by a TV transmitter, visible from all over London,
and the
National Sports Centre
, whose tartan athletics track (Europe's first) was opened
in the 1960s and where some 21 world records were set in the following two decades.
The stadium stands on the site of the old Crystal Palace football ground, where the FA
Cup Final was held from 1895 to 1914. There are further reminders of the park's
Victorian heyday in and around
Lower Lake
, in the southeast corner of the park, whose
islands feature around thirty life-sized
dinosaurs
lurking in the undergrowth, built out
of brick and iron. Look out, too, for the circular hornbeam
Maze
, London's largest,
originally established in 1872 and replanted in 1988.
Greenwich
Greenwich
is the one area in southeast London that draws tourists out from the centre
in considerable numbers. At its heart is the outstanding architectural set piece of the
Old Royal Naval College
and the
Queen's House
, courtesy of Christopher Wren and
Inigo Jones respectively. Most visitors, however, come to see the restored
Cutty Sark
, the
National Maritime Museum
and the
Royal Observatory
in Greenwich Park. With the
added attractions of its riverside pubs and walks - plus startling views across to Canary
Wharf and Docklands - it makes for one of the best weekend trips in the capital.
ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION
By DLR and train
Greenwich can be reached by train
from Charing Cross, Waterloo East or London Bridge (every
15-30min), or by DLR from Bank or Tower Gateway to Cutty
Sark DLR station. For the best view of the Wren buildings
across the river, get out at Island Gardens, and then take
the Greenwich Foot Tunnel under the Thames.
By boat
The most scenic and leisurely way to reach
Greenwich is to take a boat from one of the piers in central
London (every 20-30min).
Information
Greenwich tourist information centre (daily
10am-5pm;
T
0870 608 2000) is located in Pepys House in
the Discover Greenwich centre.
Greenwich Market
Greenwich Church St • Tues-Sun 10am-5.30pm •
W
greenwich-market.co.uk • Cutty Sark DLR
Greenwich town centre was laid out in the 1820s, hence the Nash-style terraces of
Nelson Road, College Approach and King William Walk, and is now a one-way system
plagued with heavy tra
c. However, at the centre of these busy streets, filled with
nautical knick-knack shops and bookshops, stands
Greenwich Market
,
an old covered
market where you can still see the wonderfully Victorian inscription on one of the
archways: “A false balance is abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is his delight.”
Stalls differ on each day: food and homewares (Wed), antiques and crafts (Thurs & Fri)
and food and crafts (Sat & Sun).
St Alfege's Church
Greenwich Church St • Mon-Wed 11am-4pm, Thurs & Fri 11am-2pm, Sat 10am-4pm, Sun noon-4pm •
T
020 8858 6828,
W
st-alfege.org • Cutty Sark DLR
Rising above the town centre is the Doric portico and broken pediment of Nicholas
Hawksmoor's
St Alfege's Church
,
built in 1712-18 to replace a twelfth-century structure in
which Henry VIII was baptized and Thomas Tallis, the “father of English church music”,
was buried. The church was flattened in the Blitz, but its lovely wooden galleries and its
trompe-l'oeil coffered apse, originally by Thornhill, have since been magnificently restored.
