I have a vague recollection of third grade me sitting in my class group after lunch, listening to Mrs. Stratton talk about lines of latitude and longitude. She had mentioned the Prime Meridian, the imaginary 0° line of longitude. Years later as I was planning my own lesson on maps in earth science, I learned that imaginary line is also known as the Greenwich Meridian. The Greenwich Meridian runs through the Royal Observatory Greenwich and is the internationally recognized standard reference by which all other lines of longitude are measured against. This has implications both for navigation as well as time. The global time zones are defined by this 0° line.
When teaching my sixth grade classes, I didn’t think that I would one day stand on the Greenwich Meridian. Or that an ‘imaginary line’ would be denoted by a real line that tourists could stand over for social media photos. And yet, this July I had the opportunity to do so.
On this summer trip to Europe, we split our twelve-day vacation between London and The Hague. For the London portion of the trip, we rented a nice Air BnB in Greenwich for our home base. While we didn’t spend too much time exploring Greenwich most days, there was plenty to do our first day after landing at Heathrow in the morning and taking afternoon naps.
After a nice jet-lagged rest in the summer heat, we were feeling a bit peckish. We were in the mood for some pub food and drink, so we headed out to the Kings Arms, an historic pub that was constructed in 1891. It was known locally for a period of time as ‘The Bunker,’ possibly for being a haven during the Blitz in World War II. The exact reason for the nickname may never be known, but it is interesting to consider the history of the building. The interior has been refurbished, and the menu features standard pub fare and a variety of cocktails.
After enjoying our dinner and drinks- including a delicious sticky toffee- we felt that a walk was in order. After a 10-hour long haul and travel fatigue, we needed to get moving. The day was thankfully cooling off a bit; it was 91° Fahrenheit when we arrived, and it was sticky. As evening approached, the air still retained its humidity, but the temps were going down. We headed to Greenwich Park, and walked up toward the observatory.
This proved to be an arduous uphill hike in the summer heat. We followed Google Maps through a thankfully shaded walking path, hoping we were going in the right direction. While we weren’t prepared to climb a hill, the bright side was that the views were really nice from where we were. And the hike wasn’t too long. We came close to the top of the path, and saw a short line of people taking photos. We had found the Greenwich Meridian.
We took photos and walked a few steps up. There we found the Shepherd 24-Hour Gate Clock, which was installed in 1852, and is one of the earliest electrically operated public clocks. The dial always displays Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), and according to the signage, the time is accurate to within a half-second. On the gate was also an ordinance survey benchmark and a plaque with the British Imperial Standards. These were installed in 1859 for the public to check measurements of length.
We walked along the outside of the Royal Observatory. As it was close to 21:00, the museum was closed. For astronomy nerds, there is a planetarium offering a variety of shows as well as a huge refracting telescope- one of the largest in the world. There is also more of the prime meridian line with measurements and an exhibition on Harrison marine timekeepers. I would have enjoyed the museum, though I am not sure the rest of my party would have appreciated it. Walking around would have to suffice for this nerd, but if you have time to visit, tickets can be booked here. The Royal Observatory, including the Greenwich Meridian, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Greenwich really is a cool place. It was quieter than the more central parts of Greater London, which made it a nice place for rest. And with easy access to the National Rail line, it was not hard getting to other parts of the city. There is much to do in this part of southeast London; just pick a happy adventure and go. Your third-grade self will thank you. Cheers!
References:
Much of the specific information presented is from signage in the park.
The Cranky Camper 