Archive for the tag 'Royal Observatory'

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 [...]

6 Comments CherryPie on Sep 17th 2014

14 Comments CherryPie on Sep 14th 2014

One of the Royal Observatory buildings is decorated with terracotta tiles and sculptures. Astronomia, a figure representing Astronomy particularly caught my eye.

The terracotta tiles and decorative sculpture are the work of Doulton & Co, of Lambeth. An art nouveau-inspired figure of Astronomia on the northwest side at the bottom of the old staircase is signed `WJ Neatby 1895′. [...]

4 Comments CherryPie on Sep 13th 2014

The Royal Observatory in Greenwich is the home of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and the Prime Meridian of the world.
What is a meridian?
A meridian is a north-south line selected as the zero reference line for astronomical observations. By comparing thousands of observations taken from the same meridian it is possible to build up an accurate [...]

8 Comments CherryPie on Sep 12th 2014

There was a bit of a kerfuffle as we entered the breakfast room. The man in front of us was insisting his room was booked off on the breakfast sheet. When we were seated a man came and sat next to us and when asked his room number he used the same room number as [...]

21 Comments CherryPie on Aug 21st 2014

…from the outside.
Maybe next time I will get to see it from the inside

8 Comments CherryPie on Feb 28th 2011

The other place I visited on my recent trip to Kent was Greenwich.  There was a difference of opinion on what we should do whilst we were there.   We settled for the National Maritime Museum in the end. The museum is being refurbished in places meaning some of the rooms were closed and some of [...]

12 Comments CherryPie on Feb 19th 2011