Greenwich

Coordinates: 51°29′N 0°00′E / 51.48°N 0.00°E / 51.48; 0.00
This article is about a World Heritage Site
From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Greenwich

Royal Observatory, Greenwich

One-time Coat of arms of Greenwich
Greenwich is located in Greater London
Greenwich
Greenwich
Location within Greater London
Population30,578 (Peninsula and Greenwich West wards 2011)
OS grid referenceTQ395775
• Charing Cross5.5 mi (8.9 km) WNW
London borough
Ceremonial countyGreater London
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townLONDON
Postcode districtSE10
Dialling code020
PoliceMetropolitan
FireLondon
AmbulanceLondon
UK Parliament
London Assembly
List of places
UK
England
London
51°29′N 0°00′E / 51.48°N 0.00°E / 51.48; 0.00

Greenwich [1] is a district of London. It is the main part of the Borough of Greenwich,[2][3][4] about 8.9 km east south-east of Charing Cross.

The Royal Greenwich Observatory is in Greenwich. It was originally built for the Astronomer Royal. The Oservatory created the Greenwich Meridian (0° longitude) and Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).

Greenwich is a town with a long history. It became the site of a royal palace, the Palace of Placentia, from the 15th century. This was the birthplace of many members of the Tudor dynasty, including Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. The palace became ruined during the English Civil War. It was rebuilt as a hospital by Sir Christopher Wren. These buildings became the a military college in 1873, which lasted until 1998. The town became a popular resort in the 17th century. Many rich houses were built there, such as Vanbrugh Castle (1717). Estates were built above the town centre.

Greenwich was part of Kent until 1889 when the County of London was created.

World heritage site[change | change source]

Maritime Greenwich
UNESCO World Heritage Site
LocationUnited Kingdom
CriteriaCultural: i, ii, iv, vi
Reference795
Inscription1997 (21st Session)
Extensions2008
Area109.5 hectares (271 acres)
Buffer zone174.85 hectares (432.1 acres)
Websitewhc.unesco.org/en/list/795
Coordinates51°29′1″N 0°0′21″W / 51.48361°N 0.00583°W / 51.48361; -0.00583

Maritime Greenwich is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is on the River Thames. The site includes buildings along the riverfront, and surrounding the 17th century Queen's House. The group include the complex of the Royal Hospital for Seamen, the Royal Observatory and the Royal Park.[5]

The Royal Hospital was laid out to a master plan created by Christopher Wren.[6] The hospital complex was built over many decades. Other architects who added to this long-term project included Nicholas Hawksmoor.[5]

The core of this group of buildings is the Queen's House which was designed by Inigo Jones. This was the first Palladian building in Britain.[5]

The Royal Observatory is now the baseline for the world's time zone system and for the measurement of longitude around the globe.[5]

The Royal Park is a symmetrical design in an irregular landscape around the buildings of the World Heritage Site. The park was created by André Le Nôtre.[5]

The park and grounds behind the buildings on the river held the competitions for the horse-related events of the 2012 Summer Olympics.[7]

Public transport[change | change source]

National Rail and Docklands Light Railway services call at Greenwich station.

Gallery[change | change source]

References[change | change source]

  1. /ˈɡrɛni/
  2. Wells, John C. (2000). Longman Pronunciation Dictionary (2nd ed.). Harlow: Pearson Education Limited. ISBN 0-582-36467-1.
  3. Jones, Daniel (1997). English Pronouncing Dictionary (15th ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-45903-6.
  4. Collins English Dictionary (3rd updated ed.). HarperCollins. 1994. ISBN 0-00-470678-1.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 UNESCO, "Maritime Greenwich"; retrieved 2012-4-19.
  6. These buildings became home to the Royal Naval College from 1873 to 1998.
  7. London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, "Greenwich Park" Archived 2012-09-09 at Archive.today; retrieved 2012-4-25.

Other websites[change | change source]