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Greenwich: Royal Museums

  • January 13, 2025
  • Jack

I couldn’t resist writing a quick post on Greenwich as a “must go” destination just up the Thames River from London proper.  My interest and passion for a visit to the area are arguably driven by two exhibits of nautical and seafaring importance.  First, the Naval history related to Lord Nelson’s time at the turn of the 19th century, and second, Harrison’s clocks and his search for solving the “longitude” problem at sea.  More on both later. 

Royal Museums Greenwich

I’ll try not to restate information available online, but you can start planning your visit at the Royal Museums Greenwich website.  There are four key museums:

  • Cutty Sark: This impressive ship was built in Scotland exclusively for the China Tea Trade and was the fastest sailing ship of its time.  Making its maiden voyage in 1870 to Shanghai, it brought back over 1.3 million tons of tea to London.  In addition to learning the history of the time during your Cutty Sark visit, there are a number of interesting things to do and see.
  • National Maritime Museum: Known for its stories of exploration and adventure impacting our world, this museum is well-suited for adult history lovers.  Many galleries focus on interesting topics, including Lord Nelson, the Stuart Seafarers, polar expeditions, and other sea matters.
  • Queen’s House: An incredibly beautiful building, some consider it the best of Greenwich’s UNESCO World Heritage Site. Designed in the 17th Century, it was commissioned by Anne of Denmark (a Stuart monarch) in 1616.  Later, under the wife of King Charles I, it was transformed into a “house of delights.”  Today, it is an acclaimed art gallery with over 450 artworks.
  • Royal Observatory: The Observatory has arguably the most stunning view of London and is where the Prime Meridian of the World passes. It also highlights cutting-edge astronomy and discoveries that made history. Everyone should stand with one foot in both the East and West hemispheres, but the museum has so much more to offer. Visitors can learn about Greenwich Mean Time, use telescopes, and see Harrison’s journey to solve the “longitude problem.” They can also see the Octagon Room, designed by Christopher Wren and completed in 1676.
National Maritime Museum
Cutty Sark
Prime Meridian at Royal Observatory
Queen's House

Lord Nelson and Harrison’s Clocks

A Greenwich visit brings two immediate “must-see” items to me.  First, don’t miss seeing the coat worn by Vice Admiral Nelson in 1805 when he was killed at the Battle of Trafalgar, where the British defeated the combined Spanish and French fleet.  A leader of epic importance to Britain, he received a state funeral at St. Paul’s and is honored by Nelson’s column built in 1843, which you can see at Trafalgar Square.

The second, related to an incredible 40-year endeavor (or perhaps obsession) by John Harrison, is his clocks at the Royal Observatory.  In a nutshell, one of the most challenging problems in the 1700s was the inability of sailors to determine their longitude while at sea.  Latitude was easy, with the appropriate reference and measurement of the sun’s azimuth.  However, determining longitude was vastly more complex, and an accurate timepiece would be required at sea, which did not exist in the era.  Simply stated, although the shore-based 18th-century clocks were quite accurate, their pendulum motion was ill-suited for the harsh sea environment of constant (and sometimes violent) ship motions, high humidity, and extreme temperature variations.  Although most in the scientific community of the day believed an astronomical solution was the only way to determine longitude at sea, Harrison, in 1714, undertook to design and build a mechanical clock that was accurate, very accurate, at sea in response to a British government-sponsored competition.   The rest is history, perhaps, as Harrison produced the first of his clocks, H-1, in 1735 (pictured below and weighing 75 lbs) and completed his large 5-inch pocket size H-4 in 1759.  I cannot comprehend the complexity of the endeavor in which Harrison displayed unwavering persistence in pursuing perfection.  As a matter of note, his improvement from H-2 (pictured at top) to H-3 was 20 years in the working!  It is remarkable and, for me, mind-boggling to think this carpenter designed and built these masterpieces all by hand almost 250+ years ago. 

A must read for those interested in Harrison’s story is Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time by Dava Sobel.

Nelson's Jacket
H-1 Clock
H-4 Clock
Longitude Story

Traveling to Greenwich

Let me lead by saying Greenwich is easy to get to, and I have traveled many ways down the river and back from central London.   Also, I would highly recommend Trafalgar Tavern on the river, which is a great place for a pint and lunch on the river during or after your sightseeing in town.  Different ways to get to Greenwich:

  1. The Tube: Jubilee to Canary Wharf to pick up the DLR from Heron Quays to Cutty Sark (for Maritime Greenwich).
  2. Uber Boat: Easy pick up from multiple locations on the Thames to Greenwich Pier (yes, you can use your Uber App.)
  3. Bike: On a nice day, it’s about 10 miles for those who want to brave the London roads on a bike. I have only done this once on the North side of the river, and I should note that there are protected bike lanes from Hyde Park down to Tower Bridge.
  4. Walk: For the truly hardy, again on a nice day, you might enjoy a walk down the South side of the river from Westminster to Greenwich, which, following the river, is about eight miles, so plan for 2+30 hours.

I recommend mixing it up a bit – Tube down and boat back or vice versa – as a sail down the Thames is a destination in itself.

View from Royal Observatory

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3 Responses

  1. Debra Ford says:
    January 13, 2025 at 8:09 pm

    That brings back such wonderful memories! One of my favorite day trips from London. (… and that coat!)

    Reply
    1. KK says:
      January 14, 2025 at 9:38 am

      Debra – great to hear from you! Yes… great memories for sure!

      Reply
  2. Mark B says:
    January 13, 2025 at 11:03 am

    Nice update Jack! I was there with my family in 2019 and thoroughly enjoyed it. I was also there way back in the 80’s as a junior naval officer. Great connection with naval history.

    Reply

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  • Home
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      • The Dordogne: Beynac-et-Carzenac & Outdoor Activities
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      • Christmas in Garmisch, Germany
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      • Greenwich: Royal Museums
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      • Christmas in Garmisch, Germany
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