The Royal Observatory is located on a hill in Greenwich Park in, not unsurprisingly, Greenwich, London. The surrounding area is incredibly picturesque with a view of all Greenwich Park and a fantastic hill-top view of nearby London and on a lovely sunny day you can see miles. To get there I'm fairly certain there is no other option but to walk through the park so, like it or not, you will be forced into having a relaxing walk to get there. At least until you hit the hill on which The Royal Observatory perches. It is a little steep to say the least and will leave your calves burning and lungs starved of oxygen unless of course you are one of those freaky members of ...  Read the complete review

The Royal Observatory Greenwich was re-furbished and extended throughout 2005-06 and re-opened to the public in May 2007. If you have not visited for a long time, do note that the experience will be quite different from what you remember. The front part of the site contains the apartments of the first Astronomer Royal, John Flamsteed who worked in the late 17th century. The apartments are a creative reconstruction so note that the furniture and posession you see are not Flamsteed's. The new galleries relating to Time are much more interactive than the old galleries which were more contemplative and academic in tone. The same array of objects from astrolabes ...  Read the complete review

The Royal Observatory and the Planetarium A few weeks ago now I went to Greenwich for afternoon and wandered over to the Royal Observatory which I would recommend as it is well worth a visit. The Observatory is actually part of the National Maritime Museum which also encompasses the Maritime Galleries and the Queen's House. The Royal Observatory was commissioned in 1675 by Charles II and is situated on a hill in Greenwich Park overlooking the River Thames. It is a really beautiful building and even if you are not interested in the outside it is worth a look just at the architectural beauty on the outside. The original part of the Observatory was ...  Read the complete review

It was an 1884 conference in Washington that finally settled on Greenwich as the prime meridian. That is longitude 0. The point on earth from which time is measured. The story of Greenwich actually starts much earlier than that. It was in 1675 that Sir John Flamsteed was appointed the first Astronomer Royal, and it was also in that year that Christopher Wren began work on the Royal Observatory building at Greenwich, the first purpose built scientific research facility in the country. The primary purpose of the observatory was to improve the navigation of ships by helping them to determine their exact location while at sea. The Royal Observatory ...  Read the complete review