England: Greenwich, London

Old Royal Naval College. September 2001

Literally across from Canary Wharf is Greenwich - the Greenwich of GMT and the observatory that marks the Prime Meridian. Brian and I took the ferry across the river to see it since it was near our hotel and it was famous (in a kind of nerdy way). It was on that trip that I discovered the Old Royal Naval College - a gorgeous leftover from another age. I instantly would have preferred to visit that than the observatory! We didn't have any information about it, however, so we continued to the observatory.

Following the old main street of Greenwich, King William Walk (very touristy, but lovely), we walked uphill to the observatory. The observatory has a steep entry feel to "see" the line that divides the world into east and west. No thanks. We assumed the line also extended "outside" of the building, so we were happy enough to view the exterior version. Ha!

I was still swept away by the beauty of the Naval College.

The Royal Hospital for Seamen is one of the world’s great architectural treasures. Founded by Queen Mary II and designed by Sir Christopher Wren, the Hospital was created to provide a refuge for elderly and injured Royal Navy seamen.

https://ornc.org/our-history/

So the current Naval College was built on the site of a former royal palace and started as a hospital. Only later the complex was converted into the Naval College. I wish we had taken a tour, but Brian and I honestly didn't know it was an option.

Interesting side note: the buildings now host the University of Greenwich where my friend and ex-colleague RM studied. Once when we were talking about London, I told him how much I loved the Old Naval College and he quipped, "that's where I went to uni". Small world!

One of the handful of memories from that first trip to London, that old building complex in Greenwich stands out for me. I never made it back on all my subsequent travels to London - I should have.