Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
21
ROYAL GREENWICH
The history of Greenwich is replete with
royal connections
. Edward I appears to have been
the first of the English kings to have stayed here, though there was nothing resembling a
palace until Henry V's brother, the Duke of Gloucester, built
Bella Court
(later known as the
Palace of Placentia) in 1447. Henry VI honeymooned here with his new wife, Margaret of Anjou,
and eventually took over the place and rebuilt it in her honour. However, it was under the
Tudors that the riverside palace enjoyed its royal heyday.
Henry VIII
was born there and made
it his main base, pouring even more money into it than into Hampton Court. He added
armouries, a banqueting hall and a huge tiltyard, hunted in the extensive grounds and kept a
watchful eye over proceedings at the nearby
Royal Dockyards
in Deptford. His daughters,
Mary and Elizabeth, were both born here.
Edward VI came to Greenwich in 1553 to try to restore his frail health, but died shortly
afterwards. Mary came here rarely as queen, and on one of her few visits had the wall of her
personal apartment blasted away by a cannonball fired in salute. For Elizabeth, Greenwich was
the
chief summer residence
, and it was here in 1573 that she revived the Maundy
Ceremony, washing the feet of 39 poor women (though only after three others had washed
them first). The royal palace fell into disrepair during the 1650s Commonwealth, when it was
turned into a biscuit factory, and was finally torn down by Charles II to make way for a new
edifice, which eventually became the Royal Naval College.
If you come in via the Sammy Ofer Wing, you'll find
Voyagers
straight ahead, focusing
on the emotions evoked by travels on the oceans. As well as moving personal stories
about the sea, there are some remarkable objects such as Captain Cook's sextant, John
Franklin's snow goggles, a musical pig that survived the
Titanic
and the horn beaker
Captain Bligh used to measure out water rations on his epic 41-day voyage to Timor.
Floor one: The Great Map, the Atlantic and Traders
he museum's
Great Map
is displayed on the Upper Deck - kids get to sail their own
personal boats (and hopefully learn a bit of maritime geography, while their parents
relax in the adjacent museum café). The nearby
Traders
gallery tells the story of the
all-important East India Company, which was given a monopoly on British trade with the
East, and ended up taking over and more or less running India until the 1857 Rebellion.
The Atlantic
focuses on the history of the trade links with the New World, from
slavery to whaling. While you're here, don't miss the
stained glass
from the
Baltic
Exchange
, a colourful 1920s memorial salvaged from the Baltic Exchange in the City,
after it was blown up by the IRA in 1992.
Floor two: Children's Gallery, Ship of War and Nelson
This is the place to head if you've got kids, as it boasts the
Children's Gallery
which gives
kids a taste of life on the seas, loading miniature cargo, firing a cannon, learning to use
Morse code and so forth. Next door, older children and adults alike will enjoy the
Ship
Simulator
in which you have to demonstrate your boat handling skills. The
Ship of War
gallery displays the museum's collection of model sailing warships (1650-1815), most
made by the Navy Board at the same time as the ships they represent. Floor two is also
where the long-awaited
Nelson
gallery will be.
Queen's House
Daily 10am-5pm • Free •
T
020 8858 4422,
W
rmg.co.uk • Cutty Sark DLR
Inigo Jones's
Queen's House
, originally built on a cramped site amid the Tudor royal
palace, is now the focal point of the Greenwich ensemble. As royal residences go, it's an
unassuming little Palladian country house, “solid…masculine and unaffected” in
Jones's own words. Its significance in terms of British architecture, however, is
immense. Commissioned in 1616, it was the first Neoclassical building in the country,
signifying a clear break with all that preceded it. The interior, exterior and setting of the
