Our Tour Of Greenwich And The Royal Observatory

To round out our sightseeing in England, Bob and I had a couple of other locations to check out during our last two days in London.  We thoroughly enjoyed our weeks in the countryside and were rested and rejuvenated.  To ease ourselves back into the hubbub of the city, Bob, our son and I booked a riverboat to Tower Bridge, Greenwich and the Royal Observatory.

As the tour boat motored along the waters of the River Thames, we relished the ride while taking in various sights such as Waterloo Bridge.

Being in the vicinity of Greenwich, the river was host to a great number of tour boats whisking tourists either to or from that hub of maritime history.  Tower Bridge presided over the ebb and flow of the river and the traffic.

For me, one of the defining landmarks of London is Tower Bridge.  When we first laid eyes on it, we were duly impressed by this architectural marvel.  It is the clever construction of this bridge utilizing bascules, and suspension and cantilever technology that enables the two spans to open quickly allowing clearance for boat traffic.

It took 432 workmen 8 years to construct Tower Bridge with work starting in 1886.  The bascules or spans were originally operated by hydraulics using steam power.  Today, either oil or electricity powers the hydraulics.  Two walkways connect the towers adding to the elegance of the Victorian style of architecture.  We were really hoping to see the lift bridge in action.

Further east along the River Thames, before we landed at the Greenwich Pier, our launch passed the Cutty Sark, the famous British clipper ship that used to set records while transporting tea from China.  With the advent of steamships, the Cutty Sark then turned to hauling wool to Britain from Australia.  For 10 years, she held the record for the fastest crossing on that route.  She now sits in dry dock at Greenwich.

After we disembarked from the tour boat and briefly admired the Cutty Sark, the three of us headed further ashore to find the Royal Observatory.  The trademark Onion Dome that houses the Great Equatorial Telescope was visible from a distance.

I found the contours of the Royal Observatory’s rooftops quite pleasing.  With one cupola topped by a red Time Ball that in itself has a weather vane sprouting above it, the roof of the Octagon Room was quite whimsically adorned.  These apparatus are highly decorative as well as functional.

The Octagon Room is part of Flamsteed House, the original Royal Observatory building at Greenwich.  In 1675, King Charles II commissioned Christopher Wren to design the building.  The bright red Time Ball is one of the world’s earliest public time signals.  Since 1833, it has dropped at precisely 1 p.m. every day.  Captains on nearby ships used to rely on it to accurately set their chronometers.

The Shepherd Gate Clock shows Greenwich Mean Time as determined by the Airy Transit Circle telescope.  It was used primarily from 1851 to 1938.  Steps away in the courtyard surrounding Flamsteed House, we found the Prime Meridian.  This international standard prime meridian was established by Sir George Airy in 1851.  It passes through the Royal Observatory.

The Prime Meridian was used worldwide for timekeeping and navigation until 1974. A brass strip stretching across the courtyard was the original symbol of the Prime Meridian but it has now been replaced by a stainless steel strip.  Visitors to the Royal Observatory like the novelty of having their photo taken with one foot in the Eastern Hemisphere and the other foot in the Western Hemisphere, as Bob is doing here.

Since 1984, the IERS Reference Meridian has been used as the Prime Meridian of the world replacing the Greenwich Meridian.  Its location is a mere 102 metres to the east.  Before bidding adieu to the Royal Observatory and Prime Meridian Line, and not to be outdone by Bob, my son and I stood on “opposite sides of the world” and shook hands across the Prime Meridian.

Moving on, our next stop was The Fan Museum, a one-of-a-kind museum dedicated to the history, culture and craft of the hand-held fan.  Bob and I were heavily involved in ballroom dancing at the time, and the ladies frequently employed fans to cool down.  We thought it would be fun to explore the collections.

Boasting more than 7,000 objects in their collections, The Fan Museum features fans from around the World including rare acquisitions that include works by such notables as Paul Gauguin.  A rare Elizabethan-period fan, Japanese Court fans & a spectacular Fabergé fan are examples of the scope of diversity in the collection.

I was agog at the beauty and artistry of the hundreds of fans that we saw but can only feature a couple though they barely scratch the surface of the 1000 years worth of fan history in the Museum.

The Fan Museum itself is located in some early Georgian period townhouses adding to the special atmosphere redolent of times past.  Bob and our son even surprised me with a silver brooch fashioned like a fan.

In order to catch our return ride on the riverboat, it was time to make our way back to the Greenwich Pier.  As the boat motored closer to Tower Bridge, we could see that the bascules were just beginning to lift.  You can imagine my excitement as I wondered what vessel might be passing through!

During our first week in London, we had been whisked across Tower Bridge on a double-decker bus when we went to visit the Tower of London.  Now, the tour boat’s captain was relaying to us a story about another bus that had “hopped the gap between the spans” years earlier.  I was enthralled.

It was back in 1952 when the relief watchman on bridge duty failed to sound the warning bell and close the gates after checking to see if the bridge was clear.  He initiated the opening of the bascules.

Unfortunately, a double-decker bus was already proceeding across the south bascule when it started to rise.  Albert Gunter, the driver, was alarmed when the road disappeared in front of him. Drawing on his skills as a tank driver during the war, and knowing that a tank could easily make the jump, he decided to put the bus to the test rather than risk it toppling into the river if he did nothing.

Albert had to think quickly and gunned the engine.  He successfully cleared the 3-foot gap and landed 6 feet below on the north bascule that hadn’t yet started to rise.  Miraculously, all passengers survived without injury save for Gunter who sustained a broken leg.  I’m sure glad that I didn’t know about this tale when our family was onboard the double-decker bus!

With the captain’s story complete, Bob and I looked ahead as The Gladys emerged on our side of Tower Bridge.  Although it wasn’t the Royal Yacht Britannia that passed under Tower Bridge in 1954, or the Götheborg of Sweden that sailed beneath it in 2022, or even El Galeon Andalucia of Spain that edged through in 2024 making grand entrances into London Pool, it was still a pleasure to see The Gladys’s tall mast clear the spans of Tower Bridge.  The Gladys is a Spritsail Barge that was built in 1901 and has now been converted to a pleasure yacht.

Our river boat ride was nearing its end as we closed in on Waterloo Bridge.  The Millenium Wheel stood tall above the buildings on the south bank of the Thames.  Our family had enjoyed a ride on it during our first days in London.

Glancing up at Big Ben’s face as we neared the pier, we could see the hour was getting on, 6:20 p.m.  After indulging in a delicious Italian meal, playing several card games and people watching, we were whisked back to the area of our hotel in yet another double-decker bus.  Visiting Tower Bridge, Greenwich and the Royal Observatory had enriched our understanding of their historical significance.

Frame to Frame – Bob and Jean