TRIP TO LONDON DAY 8 PART 2

22/7/2014
GREENWICH
BOOKS AROUND TOWN

After lunch, we took the tube down to city centre while Diana went home to rest.

World news flash around the Reuters Building 

We took the Docklands Light Railway train over to Greenwich. 

the Cutty Sark - a British clipper ship 

A clipper is a fast sailing ship of the middle 19th century.  This is one of the last tea clipper built before the development of steam engine.  

The ship was damaged by fire in 2007 and restored and open to the public in 2012.  

The word "cutty sark" is a Scotish word for a "short shirt/undergarment".  It is the nickname of the witch Nannie Dee in Robert Burns' poem Tam O'Shanter. 

Our first stop to the Greenwich Tourist information Centre.

There is a model of  Maritime Greenwich World Heritage site displayed here.

Came out into the park and saw this Book Bench.  This is a project of 50 unique Book Benches sculptures by the National Literacy Trust and Wild in Art to encourage more reading. These benches can be found in 4 different trails through  Bloomsbury, Greenwich, Riverside and City Districts and these are mostly associated with writers and writing.  If you fancy one of these benches, you can bid at the  auction at end of the year,  to raise fund for the Trust and to fight illiteracy in the UK.    

The Railway Children by E Nesbit.

The Canterbury Tales by  Geoffrey Chaucer

We did not have the time to go looking for these benches but only when we came across them.  You can go online to check out the beautiful colourful designs and also get to know some of the popular books in the UK.

The Maritime Greenwich World Heritage site includes the historic town center, the Royal Park and the related surrounding buildings.

The Old Royal Naval College site was designed by Sir Christopher Wren. This was originally constructed as  the Royal Hospital for Seaman in Greenwich. 

On the left is the Queen Mary's Court where The Chapel (attraction must see)  is located and on the right is the King William Court where the Painted Hall is(attraction must see). 

This Tudor palace was built by Henry VII and is the birthplace of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. 

Unfortunately the Painted Hall was closed for the day but the Chapel was still opened.

Inside the Chapel.....

The intricate plasterwork  of the ceiling

The Chapel Organ by the leading organ builder  Samuel Green.   It case is made of Spanish mahogany and the gallery is supported by 6 fluted marble columns. 

These life-size figures of the evangelists and apostles in the niches between the windows are in fact paintings and not sculptures!.  These are painted by Biaggio Rebecca, and these  paintings rely on the use of shadow and contrast to create their lifelike appearance... amazing!

the towering pulpit is made from oak, mahogany and lime wood and the round medallions features the lives of St. Peter and St. Paul, to whom the Chapel is dedicated. 

The vast painting above the altar is by Benjamin West.  It shows the story of St. Paul's shipwreck on the island of Malta.  This 7.5 metre high painting took 7 years to complete. 

Next we walked over the Queen's house. 

It was intended for Queen Anne but she died before it was completed.  Later it was completed by King Charles I for his Queen Henrietta Maria.   

entrance seems rather unimpressive?

The elegant shell style spiral of the Tulip Staircase- first self-supporting spiral stair in Britain 

The perfect 40 ft x 40 ft  cube floor of the Great Hall with its striking geometrically-patterned black and white  Italian and Belgian marble.

Under the reign of King Charles I, arts flourished and this ceiling painting by Italian artist, Artemisia and her father Orazio.  

known as  the Allegory of Peace and the Arts under the English Crown.

 There are numerous work of arts of maritime war and warships and portraits of famous military leaders  

Coming out of the Queen's House, we saw this panoramic view of Greenwich Park and the Royal Observatory at top of hill

The pier  overlooking the other side is Docklands

Frozen In Time by Captain Scott

replica of Nelson's ship ...

wild blackberries?  Saw plenty of these along the pathway leading up the hill..

It was a long walk uphill to the Royal Observatory..

the old measurements

and the Greenwich Meridian line 

By the time we reached, it was closing time (urg.... again!) and no more visitors were allowed in. These are the last group of people in the taking their photos astride the Meridian line.    This Greenwich Meridian line is Longitude O and separate the east from the west the same way as the Equator separates the north from the south.

Looking back from the  Royal Observatory towards the Old Royal Naval College ... 

....the old and new buildings. 

After resting awhile, its time to make our home. Took the train back to city and passed by ...

Liberty of London- a department store selling wide range of luxury goods.

This is a Tudor revivial building  was constructed in 1924 from the timber of two warships!

The shop was engineered around 3 light air wells. Beautiful intricate wood craving too.. 

It is a  luxury goods department store and particularly for its floral and graphic prints.  

  

Apple Retail Store at the Regent Building on the former site of  Hanover Chapel. 

Just love all these cute figurines 

Oxford Circus 

All Souls Church in busy Oxford Street.

By the time we reached home, Diana had a delicious dinner awaiting us..

Chicken salad 

Happy chef at work....no wonder the food tasted sooooo... good 

sticky BBQ Chicken wings, finger-licking yummyness!