Wonderful Greenwich and its History
A Great Day Out 
Visiting Maritime Greenwich makes a whole day out and can be for little or no cost (take a picnic) and is one of the best places to photograph in London. It includes the Upper Park Gardens, Deer Enclosure, Royal Naval College, National Maritime Museum, the Queens House, Royal Observatory, Exhibitions, Planetarium, Arts and Crafts Market, Cinema, Comedy Club and a broad range of Restaurants, Cafes and Taverns. The best place to start is at the Upper Gardens and then down the hill.
Greenwich is also a World Heritage site with a wealth of architecture and art of historical interest. At the end of this post is more entertainment information.
Many of the attractions are free and can be photographed and one can stand upon the worlds Prime Meridian at 0 degrees Longitude (see the Tourist Information Map ⇓).
Travel to Greenwich includes maps, best parking, public transport and ways to avoid climbing the hill and you can save the Tourist Information Map as a PDF. The History of Navigation and Greenwich is a more extensive exploration of navigation through the ages,
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The Upper Gardens
Click on Views Flowers Squirrels
and. although you cannot photograph in there:-
The Rangers House
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In the Town – Maritime Greenwich
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The First Shop in the World
Nauticalia is full of seafaring items. It’s at 25 Nelson Rd, that is South past the market and turn left.
It might sound like an excessive boast. Then again it does stand at Longitude 00′ 00′ .4′ West.
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The Cutty Sark
Turn left out of the DLR station, along the short mall and then turn left again.
This great Tea Clipper has been recently restored after a fire during a previous attempt at restoration.
The interior is open to view although it is expensive with many other venues free. Admission.
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The Royal Naval College
Painted Hall
Designed by Christopher Wren, (currently closed until 2019) admission was free, you could take non-commercial photographs and was definitely worth a visit. More Information and Photographs of the Painted Hall.
It is accessible via the Cutty Sark gate or the West Gate. The visitor center is the best option as a first port of call. Please see the Sitemap.
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Chapel
Chapel Photographs Admission is free, you can take non-commercial photographs and is worth visiting.
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The National Maritime Museum
Admission is also free here, you can take non-commercial photographs and is worth visiting. The Museum.
More Photographs from inside the Museum. However, please bear in mind that the exhibits do change over time.
Behind these buildings, there is the hill which leads to the Royal Observatory and the Planetarium.
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The Queens House
Formally known as Queen Annes House, it is in fact associated with two Queens. Admission is free. The interior architecture and art works mean that it is certainly worth a visit. Non-commercial photography has been allowed since the refurbishment in early 2016.
The Queens House ⇐ History of the Queens House ⇒
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The Fan Museum
There is a small charge but you can take non-commercial photographs.
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Greenwich Market
The market offers numerous arts and crafts at reasonable prices. Images from inside the market.
How to find it.
This view is from the South with the park at my back. Using the sitemap, exits from the Naval College, are from the Romney Gate which faces the park or the the West Gate (turn right towards the park).
When facing the other way there is Greenwich Park, with the Queens House, the National Maritime Museum,the Royal Observatory and Planetarium up the hill.
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Greenwich Park
The Royal Observatory and Planetarium
The Royal Observatory (see charges) houses the Astronomy Center Gallery (free), the Harrison Timekeepers, the UK’s Largest Refracting Telescope, Flamsteed House and the Meridian Courtyard. The Planetarium, is nearby.
Flamsteed House, Meridian Courtyard, the Harrison Timekeepers and navigation is here ⇐.
View the Tourist Information Map (updated and you can save as a PDF) and discover that there a number of places where one can stand on the Prime Meridian for free and without queuing.
The red ball at the top is used to mark time (either noon or 1 pm) when it dropped so that ships could set their chronometers. It was used instead of a noon day gun because sound takes time to travel. The Time Ball.
The climb is about 140 feet. That’s about the height of a 15 story building. The easiest gradient is by the road to the right. The diagonal route, under the trees has a place to sit about half way up.
The climb can be avoided by traveling around to the plateau beyond, and do the tour in reverse. Please see Travel to Greenwich.
And, you must think I’m daft, if you think I’m going to walk up there.
Turns out you’re right.
Straight on past the observatory is a more landscaped park (see the row of three pics at start) that leads to diagonal roadside parking and the number 53 bus stop.
The West Park
Turning right after the observatory and crossing the road (The Ave ~ Avenue) leads to an untended part of the park.
There one could see a statue by Henry More entitled Knife Edge. It was on loan to the park and may be gone by midsummer 2014. Here are two views of the same statue.
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Further on, can be seen a view of Our Lady and Star of the Sea.
There is also another view over London.
The Ave
The Ave ~ Avenue divides the main park and the West side and is closed to all traffic after dusk. With the trees acting as a buffer to sound and light, it is very much like being in the countryside.
It is used by cyclists and the occasional skate boarder, so it wise to stay on the pavement/sidewalk.
The Ave ~ Avenue continues as King William Walk and at the bottom the welcoming sight of a Tavern.
Greenwich Nightlife
Greenwich also has the Up the Creek Comedy Club on Creek St, a Theater and Picture House
There are numerous Taverns, Pubs, Cafes and Restaurants. Using Google Maps enter any one of those four descriptions.
You can also specify Indian, Vietnamese, Chinese,Thai, Italian, Spanish and French. And, there is a traditional Pie and Mash shop.
The nightlife is generally thriving but gentle. A good place to unwind.
Food and Drink
Like many tourist venues food and drink can be both pricey and pretentious, especially at the park owned venues. Best option is to picnic in the park. On rainy days there is plenty of shelter/benches on the walkway between the Museum and Queens House.
Alternatively, recommended are “The Yacht” and the “Plume of Feathers”. Both to the east of the Naval College.
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If you get a chance to visit, I hope you enjoy. 🙂
Freed From Time 
The photos look gorgeous. Next time I’m in London….
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November 22, 2013 at 17:56
Oh I want to go!! Great post and photos!
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November 22, 2013 at 19:21
Thank You.
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November 23, 2013 at 00:16
Come to think of it there are many places here that you might like and would like you. There is Stonehenge, Glastonbury, Snowdonia, Lake District, Scotland ….. So if you ever get wandering feet, we are small but varied. 🙂
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November 23, 2013 at 08:01
Beautiful photos. Would love to stretch out on that green lawn!
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November 25, 2013 at 01:04
Thank You. 🙂
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November 25, 2013 at 04:21
First, thanks for dropping by my blog thereby providing me the opportunity to ‘discover’ yours. Now, I realize this post on Greenwich goes back a few months but it turns out to be perfectly timed for a close friend of mine who will be visiting London and its environs this summer and who has been asking questions about things to do in the city. Obviously there are a gazzillion things to do in London and far more than anyone could ever hope to experience on a short visit. I’m sure she’ll find many of them. But I doubt she’d find Greenwich. So I will happily forward a link to this post!
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June 2, 2014 at 02:17
Thank you for your interest.
The date of the post reflects that it was extracted from an older blog (onlineinpopar). On checking that blog I saw a previous visit by yourself and decided to take another look at your own.
I’m glad the Greenwich post will be of some use, that being it’s intent. I intend to poduce more “visitors guides” to London and the UK. The usual, together with some of the lesser known.
Unfortunately I have little time to do a thorough job at present. But, since there has been other interest, I will shortly produce a list and flesh it out later. I hope that this helps.
Regards, G 🙂
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June 2, 2014 at 09:35
Was this today? The light looks good.
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September 3, 2014 at 20:11
No, it was in August (2013). This year I’ve spent more time photographing than posting. I’ve got stacks to post for when the weather turns grisly. 🙂
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September 3, 2014 at 21:35
Ha..ha.. ‘first shop in the world’! They sure know what they’re saying. 😀
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December 12, 2014 at 22:32
Yes although it mostly goes unnoticed.
I am sorry I cannot comment upon your blog. My language skills are no where near as good as your own. 🙂
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December 12, 2014 at 23:07
Nah, never mind that. It would be quite a surprise if you did speak Indonesian. 🙂
Oh, nice going on the forum, by the way (about the so-called ‘upgrade’). Many thanks for your voice. I’m sure it means a lot to a whole lot of users. Cheers!
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December 12, 2014 at 23:35
You are welcome. 🙂
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December 12, 2014 at 23:36
All the pictures are terrific. Being a fan of night photography, though, I’m partial to your evening shot of Greenwich Tavern.
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December 23, 2014 at 16:49
Yes I like that too. It’s a bit more difficult, but I’m learning and worth the effort.
And, thanks for stopping by. 🙂
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December 23, 2014 at 18:28
I’m hoping to visit Greenwich next weekend, so all of this is quite timely!
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January 2, 2015 at 21:25
I hope you enjoy, it is quite a remarkable place. I would give some thought to food and drink. Quite a lot of places area bit pricey and pretentious. The best recommendations I have heard are “The Yacht” and the “Plume of Feathers” (both can be googled). Although I have no had a chance to try them myself.
Others that look reasonable are down by the quayside near the Cutty Sark. Have a good day. 🙂
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January 3, 2015 at 02:29
Thanks for the suggestions!
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January 4, 2015 at 12:08
Hi there,
Great blog post about such an amazing town! I’m contacting on behalf of the Greenwich Tavern – we love your photograph of the venue! Would you mind if we used your image on some artwork we’re making? Full credit would be given of course. It’s completely fine if you’d rather we didn’t!
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January 28, 2015 at 12:05
Firstly, thank you for the courtesy of your request and will appreciate the credit.
You are very welcome to use the Tavern image.
Best of Luck in your endeavours.
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January 28, 2015 at 12:59
Thank you so much, it’s much appreciated. Same to you!
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January 28, 2015 at 13:59
Reblogged this on IdealisticRebel's Daily View of Favorites.
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February 26, 2015 at 19:40
Thanks for that. Hopefully it will encourage visitors to enjoy one of the best spots near London. 🙂
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February 27, 2015 at 10:33
Never been to the UK in all my years, so thank you for the virtual tour of Greenwich 🙂 An informative post. Lovely photos too 🙂
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March 11, 2015 at 20:33
You are welcome. 🙂
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March 12, 2015 at 01:22
I remember going to see the Cutty Sark several times when I was a boy. It was one of my dad’s favourites.
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September 21, 2015 at 09:23
The Cutty Sark does seem to have become ingrained in British history. I remember knowing the name before I really new what it was.
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September 21, 2015 at 16:57
Perfect location for a good day or two out!
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April 4, 2016 at 18:41
Quite so. Two at least. A great place for a picnic. 🙂
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April 5, 2016 at 08:06
We spent a lovely day here a few years ago.
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December 14, 2016 at 08:50
Great stuff. It’s just across the water from me and always a place of interest.
Thanks for your visit here. 🙂
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December 14, 2016 at 19:27