Pete's Favourite Things

We are soon approaching the Greenwich peninsular. Once a major industrial area this area is now one of major redevelopment.

At the apex of the peninsular is the O2 arena (originally the Millennium Dome) built for the 2000 exhibition, it is now one of London’s premier event spaces.

This redevelopment included a major upgrading of the transport to the area. The most visible is the cable car which runs across the Thames to the north bank.

As we make our way past the arena we are passed by the River Lifeboat.

As we approach Greenwich we pass the power station, built in 1910 to provide power for London’s tram and underground network. It was originally powered by coal and the jetties on the river were used for the delivery of coal and the removal of ash. It now houses 4 gas turbines.

The Riverside Almshouses were built in 1812 replacing a set of almshouses built on the site for ’21 old gentlemen of Greenwich’ by the Earl of Northampton in 1613.

Bult in 1837 on the site of an earlier inn, the Trafalgar Inn was a place of dining for many distinguished visitors to Greenwich.

After his restoration to the throne in 1660, Charles II drew up ambitious plans for a new palace, to replace the old and poorly-maintained Greenwich Palace. Unfortunately, finances and enthusiasm soon waned, and only one new wing was actually built. In 1694 this wing along with the grounds were granted by William III by Royal Warrant as the site for the Royal Hospital for Seamen.

 

In 1873 the Naval College in Portsmouth acquired the buildings and the Royal Naval College was established to provide state of the art training for young officers. The Navy left in 1997, and the Old Royal Naval College is open for the public to visit. Parts of the building are now part of the University of Greenwich and Trinity College of Music.

Cutty Sark is a British clipper ship. Built on the Clyde in 1869 she was one of the last, and one of the fastest, tea clippers to be built. The opening of the Suez Canal (also in 1869) meant that steamships now enjoyed a much shorter route to China, so Cutty Sark spent only a few years on the tea trade before turning to the trade in wool from Australia, where she held the record time to Britain for ten years. The ship was sold to the Portuguese company Ferreira and Co. in 1895, and renamed Ferreira. She continued as a cargo ship until purchased by retired sea captain Wilfred Dowman in 1922, who used her as a training ship operating from Falmouth, Cornwall. After his death, Cutty Sark was transferred to the Thames Nautical Training College, Greenhithe in 1938 where she became an auxiliary cadet training ship. By 1954 she had ceased to be useful as a cadet ship and was transferred to permanent dry dock at Greenwich, London, for public display. Cutty Sark is listed by National Historic Ships as part of the National Historic Fleet.