Cutty Sark was built exclusively for the China tea trade. Tea had been enjoyed in Asia for centuries, but it did not reach Britain until the 1650s.

Initially hailed for its medicinal qualities, tea was mainly enjoyed by the wealthy. But thanks, in part, to an extensive smuggling network, its popularity exploded. Tea taxes were slashed to end the smuggling, and by the early 19th century working families were consuming it twice daily. It was also huge business, with over 28 million kilograms imported in 1869 alone.

A fashion developed among Victorians for consuming the first tea to be unloaded in London. This spurred the ‘great tea races’ and a spirit of intense competition: get home first and you could command huge prices. That’s why, as a clipper ship, Cutty Sark was designed to be fast.

Information from The Queen’s House website:

This bright white villa was at the cutting edge of architecture and design when it was completed in the 1630s.

During the 17th century the Queen’s House was a royal ‘House of Delights’: a luxurious retreat for Kings and Queens, a place of pleasure for court favourites, and a thriving studio for artists and craftsmen.

Since then the Queen’s House has shaped the Greenwich you see today. When architect Sir Christopher Wren began work on what is now the Old Royal Naval College, Queen Mary II had one instruction: the new building should not block the views of the River Thames from the Queen’s House. Thanks to her intervention, the House now sits at the centre of one of London’s most inspiring vistas.

Today the Queen’s House still captures that early spirit of art and creativity. Historic paintings and interiors blend gracefully with contemporary art and sculpture, while music, theatre and discussion fill the Great Hall during our regular programme of live events.

Oh, and it even has its own ghost – if legend is to be believed…

On our most recent visit to London the trains were perfectly on time both to and from London although the same could not be said for other modes of transport during the day.

On arrival in London, we caught the tube to Charing Cross to board a water bus to Greenwich. As we waited for the boat to arrive, we chatted to a couple of ladies who were in front of us in the queue. We didn’t have to wait long for the boat to arrive and both us and the ladies we were chatting to got seats on the outside deck.

Mr C went to the bar for a glass of prosecco. Some things just have to be done for a bit of silly fun. It became apparent that the seats were in the area of the boat’s engine exhaust and I was slowly being cooked to a turn. I chose to leave my seat (and Mr C followed) to take my chances standing in the cool breeze around the edge of the boat.

The two ladies we had been chatting to had also left their seats for the same reason. They had glasses of prosecco in hand and told Mr C he had been a bad influence on them because they had noticed him walking past them with the small prosecco bottles. We spent the rest of the journey chatting with them discussing the sites of London amongst other things. One of the ladies pointed out the entrance to a tunnel under the river Thames.

When we docked at Greenwich it was time for lunch. We spotted the Captain Hardy pub which had a modest menu but was just what we needed. I chose fish and chips which, when it came, was delicious, the best battered fish I have had for a long time. Mr C chose my second choice dish, chicken schnitzel which he also enjoyed.

Amply replete, we walked the short distance to the Queen’s House, one of the Royal Museums of Greenwich. The house was originally built for Anne of Denmark, the wife of King James I. The house was left uncompleted when she died of tuberculosis in 1619. In 1629 James’ son, Charles I, gave Greenwich to his wife Henrietta Maria and work resumed on The Queen’s House.

The Queen’s House has had many occupants and uses over the years and currently houses an art collection including many artworks from classical painters and studios.

Our tight time schedule didn’t allow us to explore the grounds around the house so we retraced our steps in order to board the Cutty Sark, a state-of-the-art Victorian tea clipper built for the China tea trade. The information boards in the boat hull explain the history of The Cutty Sark and the Tea Trade at that time.

After a refreshing drink in the museum’s café it was time to make our way back to Euston for our journey home. We chose to take the water bus to Tower Hill so that we could look at the flowers in the moat at the Tower of London before catching the tube to Euston station. We waited for around 15 minutes and were informed the boat was delayed… About 10 minutes later it was announced that anyone travelling westbound could go through or wait, much to the annoyance of the gentleman who was manning the access. His argument was that we would  have to wait just as long if we moved to the different queue.

Mr C opted to walk through the gate and wait on the other side because we were approximately eighth in line in the original (long) queue. This turned out to be a good choice because when the boat arrived it only had capacity for another 21 people. The boat was full!

The boat travelled at speed to catch up for lost time and, on disembarking at Tower Hill, we had to rush past the Tower of London rather than linger as we had planned in order to catch a tube train back to Euston in time for our train home. We had just enough time to purchase a sandwich from Pret A Manger to enjoy on our journey home.

Although on this occasion we arrived home in plenty of time for last orders, none of our friends were out to play. I have to confess I enjoyed going straight home after my London adventure.

Shonibare’s scale model of Nelson’s flagship, Victory, is the world’s largest ship in a bottle. The model is rigged with sails, naval ensigns and signal flags shown as they were on the day of the Battle of Trafalgar. The only significant departure from historical reality is the design of the 37 sails, which derives from the brightly coloured patterns of Dutch-was fabric.*

*Info from a sign board next to the ’ship in a bottle’.

The Altazimuth Pavilion is topped with an unusual weather vane.

It is modelled on Halley’s Comet, as depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry. It was erected in June 1901, a few years after the building was completed but in time for the comet’s return in 1909. There is a clear link with the Observatory’s history since Halley was the second Astronomer Royal, although his famous prediction was made fifteen years before he took up the post. It is not clear why the illustration from the Bayeux Tapestry was used as inspiration, although its shape is ideal for catching the wind and echoes that of the weathervanes of the Royal Naval College down the hill.

This modern structure placed alongside the old observatory buildings draws the eye. It is only on closure inspection that all is revealed…

The truncated bronze cone covering the planetarium dome. Its form and orientation reflect the local meridian and latitude.

The first public time signal was broadcast from  the roof of Flamsteed House in 1833. The idea of dropping a ball at a predetermined time was the brainchild of Captain Wauchope, RN, and was tested at the Naval College at Portsmouth before Maudslay & Field were commissioned to install the first Greenwich time-ball in that year.

The signal was (and is) given at 1 p.m. because the astronomers would be busy checking the rates of their clocks against the sun’s transit at noon. At 12.55 p.m. the ball is hoisted half-way up the mast – originally a signal for navigators on ships in the Thames and London docks to be ready.  At two minutes to the hour the ball is hoisted to the top of the mast and then drops precisely at 1 p,m. From this, sea captains about to sail could check the rate of their marine chronometers, which were in wide use by the 1830s.*

*From the Royal Observatory Greenwich Souvenir Guide

The gnomon or pointer of the sundial is formed by the tips of two dolphins’ tails, which almost meet. The tails cast a shadow onto the dial plate, which is engraved with thick curved lines representing the hours. Thinner lines indicate 10-minute intervals between each hour.

The dial plate has curved lines rather than straight ones, to allow for the variations in the Sun’s apparent daily motion. The plate used in summer shows British Summer Time; that used in winter shows Greenwich Mean Time.

The mid-point between the dolphins tail-tips indicates the correct time.