Royal Observatory at Greenwich

The Royal Observatory, home of Greenwich Mean Time and the Prime Meridian line, is one of the most important historic scientific sites in the world. It was founded by Charles II in 1675 and is, by international decree, the official starting point for each new day, year and millennium. The Observatory is now part of the National Maritime Museum and is one of the most famous features of Maritime Greenwich – since 1997 a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visitors to the Observatory can stand in both the eastern and western hemispheres simultaneously by placing their feet either side of the Prime Meridian – the centre of world time and space. Pretty cool huh! Also the walk up the steep hill to get there gives some AMAZING views over the whole of London from the City right over across to Canary Wharf. It’s also going to be the site of the Olympic Equestrian competitions, plus the combined running and shooting event of the Modern Pentathlon – so we got the chance to see all the building work going on to get ready for this. It made a nice juxtaposition (who doesn’t love using that word!!!??) to see the old National Maritime Museum sandwiched between the new Olympic stands and the new Canary Wharf buildings. And I just loved the architectural detail of the stand construction against the blue sky.