Greenwich~a thousand years of history

The Olympic rings were installed but not yet dropped down .  

Greenwich is one of those places that was on my list to visit, but it wasn't until last summer that I discovered the incredible history of this maritime town. I've been there three times now and every time I discover another part of history.   Greenwich is on the Thames and a forty-five minute boat ride from Westminster Pier.   Taking one of the boats down the Thames is a wonderful way to see some landmarks of London and to get a feeling of how London is laid out.  Our trip was just a month before the Olympics and we as passed through Tower Bridge the drawbridge was being raised. 

As soon as you pass through Tower Bridge, you can see the Tower of London with the ominous words of the Traitors Gate painted on the wall.  Prisoners were brought by barge along the Thames.   Queen Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard and Sir Thomas More all entered the Tower by Traitors' Gate before their executions. 

                   

When you disembark at Greenwich, you see the Old Royal Naval College  (formerly the Old Royal Naval Hospital for Sailors)  designed by Sir Christopher Wren. The Royal Naval College no longer needs it so it is now the home of The University of Greenwich and Trinity Music College.  The white building in between the two domed buildings is the Queen's House, built by Anne of Denmark, wife of James I.

Nearer the river, there is a plaque where there used to be a Tudor Palace.  This is where Henry VIII was born as well as Queen Mary I and Queen Elizabeth I.

We were in Greenwich about a month before the Olympics and the Equestrian venue was being built.  It was in a beautiful setting on a hill below the Royal Observatory.

The Chapel of the Royal Naval College is a place of worship still today and also hosts many concerts with Trinity College of Music.   The original chapel was finished in 1751 but burned in 1779.  After extensive renovation in the 1950's it looks almost as it did when it reopened after the fire

The organ in the Chapel is made of Spanish mahogany and the organ gallery is supported on six fluted marble columns.  It was completed by Samuel Green, the leading organ builder of the day, in 1789 and is used almost every day by organ scholars.

Across an expansive yard from the Chapel is the Painted Hall.  The Painted Hall is often described as the "finest dining hall" in Europe.  It was originally designed by Christopher Wren and Nicholas Hawksmoor.  The interior was painted by James Thornhill and it took him nineteen years to complete.

At the top of the hill above the Royal Naval College is the Royal Observatory which was founded by King Charles II to study astronomy and to fix longitude. Since Greenwich was a naval headquarters, a system was needed to establish longitude or navigation purposes.  Latitude was easy because you could measure the height of the sun.  A favorite tourist attratction is to stand on the Prime Meridian with one foot in each hemisphere!  Tom and I decided to each stand in a different hemisphere. 

One of the biggest attractions at Greenwich is the newly restored Cutty Sark. The Cutty Sark is probably the most famous tea clipper ever built.  The ship was launched in 1869 and the name comes from Robert Burns poem, Tam O'Shanter.  The ship was the fastest of the tea ships to go to China and return with tea.  It was also made trips to Australia for the wool trade and coal. 

An impressive collection of Figureheads is displayed at the front of the Cutty Sark.  The owner of the ship picked the figure head for the ship.  The carving might represent a popular personality of the day, a character from literature or a member of the ship owner's family.

As we headed back to Westminster Pier in central London,  it was easy to see why Greenwich played such an important part in maritime history of this area.  It has a strategic location out of the city of London on the way to the sea.    If you look closely, you'll see the Royal Observatory in the far distance (it's on a big hill) on the far right.  The Cutty Sark is to left of that.  The Royal Naval Hospital and Queen's House is on the left.   

"On Thames's bank, in silent thought we stood

Where Greenwich smiles upon the silver flood;

Struck with the seat that gave Eliza birth,

We kneel, and kiss the consecrated earth,

In pleasing dreams the blissful age renew,

And call Britannia's glories back to view,

Behold her cross triumphant on the main,

The guard of commerce and the dread of Spain."—Dr. Johnson's "London."

Beating Retreat~2012

On a beautiful summer evening last June, we saw another spectacular example of the wonderful pageantry that is so common in London. The origin of Beating Retreat (or Sounding of Retreat) was in the 16th Century when it was used as a signal to recall troops to the barracks at the end of the day.  During campaigns, it was often difficult to gather troops together after a day's fighting.  Beating Retreat provided a signal to regroup, enabling a unit to be led as a single body to a safe encampment.   It is always held around dusk, which is when they called in the troops in the field.  

"Half an hour before the setting of the sun, The Drummers and Port-Guards are to go upon the ramparts and Beat Retreat to give notice to those without that the gates are to be shut.  The Drummers will not take more than quarter of an hour to Beat Retreat."

The Household Cavalry  ~ They act as the Queen's personal bodyguard

The history of the Household Cavalry, began in 1659 at the court of the exiled King Charles II in Holland.  It is thrilling to watch the kettledrummer and trumpeters as they enter Horse Guards Parade on their horses for the beginning of the festivities which included mounted (and unmounted) bands playing marches, fanfares, film music  and more.  

2012 Beating Retreat also included the Royal Cavalry of Oman, founded to revive the country's equestrian tradition. All the horses in the Royal Omani band are Arabians (my favorite), except for the drum horses and one Hanoverian ridden by the conductor.

Beating Retreat 2012 included the Royal Omani mounted band and pipes and drums

 The musicians were dressed in Omani dress. The Arabian horses wore beautiful silver neck collars and breastplates.

Besides the mounted bands there were also bands on foot.  The Foot Guards Regimental Bands include:  Band of the Grenadier Guards, Band of the Coldstream Guards, Band of the Scots Guards, Band of the Irish Guards and Band of the Welsh Guards. They all were the red coats and black hats.  It's pretty hard to tell them apart unless you really are into the British Military.

One of the big hits of the London West End theater is War Horse.   I loved the way the puppeteer's used their talents to make the audience feel like the life size puppet is a real horse.   The mounted bands played the music from the War Horse film  (Only Remembered)  as the puppeteers galloped the horse onto the middle of the parade grounds.   It's hard to see this scene without thinking of the emotion of that play. 

 The King's Troop~ Royal Horse Artillery

The Royal Horse Artillery soldiers (many of them women) are superb equestrians that pull the 'thirteen pounder' Guns, all of which were fired in action during the First World War.  Its duties include the firing of Royal Salutes in Hyde Park on Royal Anniversaries and State Occasions, and providing a gun carriage and team of black horses for State and Military funerals.

The Moscow Militia was also performing at Beating Retreat.  They were invited to London on the 200th anniversary of Napoleon retreating from Moscow in the War of 1812.  Their uniforms closely copied those worn by the Russian soldiers who defended Moscow against Napoleon's armies.

Some of the muskets used were the type used at the time of the first performance of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture (which was performed at the end of the evening, complete with fireworks)

                         

At the end of the show, all the foot guards, mounted bands and visiting Royal Cavalry of Oman paraded their way off Horse Guards Parade, into the darkness of the evening.  The pageantry and spectacle of Beating Retreat has ended for another year.