Do You Have the Time?

After a somewhat struggling start (I was really tired this morning), I finally headed over to Greenwich today. Perhaps because my heart wasn’t totally in it (owing to high levels of exhaustion), I was kind of disappointed I’m sad to say. I’m still grateful for the opportunity to go, mind you; it just wasn’t what I thought it would be.

But never mind all that.

First and foremost, I wanted to explore Greenwich a bit, since I had yet to visit there. I figured the best way to do so was on foot, and so I took the tube to the North Greenwich stop and hopped off. From there I walked the 2(ish) miles between the O2 arena and the Royal Greenwich Observatory.

Though this area of Greenwich did not quite mesh with the image I had in mind, it was kind of neat to walk through there nonetheless, as EastEnders’ opening credits suggest that the fictionalized Borough of Walford is located in the same area. (Though the equally fictional Walford East tube station, which services the EastEnders characters, is supposedly where the real Bromley-by-Bow stop is, and therefore three stops away from where I lived in Forest Gate.)

But I digress…

Eventually I reached the Observatory (and the attached maritime museum and Queen’s House). Sadly the beauty of the area was slightly marred by a massive construction project, which was creating stadium-style seating for an upcoming Olympic event of some sort. Oh, well.

Anyway, there are three things worth noting about this particular touristy excursion.

The first is the Shepherd Gate Clock. 

Basically, when the railway network was established during the 19th Century, it was realized that a single, standard time was needed. The Astronomer Royal suggested that this standard time should be set by the Royal Observatory, and theorized that electric signaling could be used to transmit the ‘official’ time from a ‘master’ clock at the observatory to ‘slave’ clocks elsewhere. With the help of Charles Shepherd in 1852, this system was put in place, and the Shepherd Gate Clock became (probably) the first to display the thusly established standard—Greenwich Mean Time—to the public. You will also note that the clock features a 24-hour analogue dial.

The second touristy thing worth noting is the Greenwich Meridian. Similarly established in the 19th Century, the Greenwich Meridian was designated the official Prime Meridian in 1884 by a panel representative of 25 different nations. It is marked by a stainless steel strip, and also a green laser beam at night.

Straddling the Eastern and Western Hemispheres

All in all, I spent longer getting to the Observatory than I did actually at the Observatory. Ah, well—as I learned from my V&A experience, you can’t win ’em all when it comes to touristy things.

From there, I walked a short distance away to the newly reopened Cutty Sark (one of the very last tea clippers ever built, and one of only three of its type still in existence), and then on to the Greenwich Market (where I was sorely tempted to buy a little die-cast truck bank that matched one I inherited from my grandparents—in the end, I did not buy it).

Annnnnnnd, that’s about all I have to say about today. (Sorry, I’m just so tired, today and so little stood out!)

Until next time!