Visit Greenwich (London), England!
Published Wednesday, May 13th 2015
The CUTTY SARK was built in 1869, one of a multitude of similar wooden tall-masted clippers that during the 19th century plied the seven seas, trading in exotic commoditities - in this case she was built to transport tea from China and India to the avowedly tea drinking nation of Britain. Now the photogenic vessel lies in dry dock, a museum of one kind of seafaring life.
A short walk through the quaint streets and beautiful landscaped park leads us to the world famous Greenwich Observatory. The Royal Observatory Greenwich was founded in 1675 by Charles II to find out the "so-much desired longitude of places for perfecting the art of navigation." The architect was Christopher Wren, who designed St. Paul's Cathedral and was himself an astronomer. A guided tour of the observatory provides a fascinating insight into the history of GMT and also the Prime Meridian. This is the line that divides the world into east and west and from which, every place on earth is measured in terms of its distance east or west from this line.
Commisioned in 1616 by Anne of Denmark, wife of James I, The Queen's House is the masterpiece of the English architect, Inigo Jones and was originally used as a private retreat and "House of Delights." Britain's first classical building to use the lessons of Italian Renaissance design, the Queen's House is of enormous importance in the history of English architecture. As well as being an architectural gem, the Queen's House is now an active venue for the appreciation and exploration of art and displays a fine collection of paintings owned by the National Maritime Museum, such as works by Canaletto. Paintings of the Muses, the Virtues, and the Liberal Arts decorate the Great Hall, a perfect cube exactly 40 feet in all three directions. This delightful building underlines the importance of navigation in the expansion of trade and its current day relevance to all ships that ply the oceans of the World, and furthermore underlines why Maritime Greenwich is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Designed by Christopher Wren in 1694 as a home for ancient mariners, the buildings of the Royal Naval College became a school for young one in 1873; today the University of Greenwich uses them for classes. The Painted Hall and the College Chapel are the two outstanding interiors on view here.
A short walk through the quaint streets and beautiful landscaped park leads us to the world famous Greenwich Observatory. The Royal Observatory Greenwich was founded in 1675 by Charles II to find out the "so-much desired longitude of places for perfecting the art of navigation." The architect was Christopher Wren, who designed St. Paul's Cathedral and was himself an astronomer. A guided tour of the observatory provides a fascinating insight into the history of GMT and also the Prime Meridian. This is the line that divides the world into east and west and from which, every place on earth is measured in terms of its distance east or west from this line.
Commisioned in 1616 by Anne of Denmark, wife of James I, The Queen's House is the masterpiece of the English architect, Inigo Jones and was originally used as a private retreat and "House of Delights." Britain's first classical building to use the lessons of Italian Renaissance design, the Queen's House is of enormous importance in the history of English architecture. As well as being an architectural gem, the Queen's House is now an active venue for the appreciation and exploration of art and displays a fine collection of paintings owned by the National Maritime Museum, such as works by Canaletto. Paintings of the Muses, the Virtues, and the Liberal Arts decorate the Great Hall, a perfect cube exactly 40 feet in all three directions. This delightful building underlines the importance of navigation in the expansion of trade and its current day relevance to all ships that ply the oceans of the World, and furthermore underlines why Maritime Greenwich is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Designed by Christopher Wren in 1694 as a home for ancient mariners, the buildings of the Royal Naval College became a school for young one in 1873; today the University of Greenwich uses them for classes. The Painted Hall and the College Chapel are the two outstanding interiors on view here.
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