Greenwich Park, forming part of the Greenwich Maritime World Heritage Site, overlooks the Thames and offers iconic views over London. It is one of the eight Royal Parks of London. The Prime Meridian reference point for Greenwich Meantime runs through the park and the Royal Observatory is located here on a prominent hilltop position. Visitors like to be photographed standing either side of the Meridian Line.
Greenich Park was landscaped in the seventeenth century with stunning gardens. Visitors can see the flower, rose and herb gardens and stroll down tree-lined avenues.
The park is currently undergoing restoration improvements to protect the landscape from the wear and tear of the increasing number of yearly visitors.
Other interesting features of Greenwich Park include the bandstand, the Millennium Sundial and General Wolfe statue.
There's a playground for the kids and also the Pavillion Café at the top of the hill by the Royal Observatory is open for breakfast and lunch. Alcohol is served as well as a range of soft drinks. This octagonal shaped building was built in 1906 and is topped by a dovecote with a weather vane depicting Lord Nelson looking through his telescope.
Exploring Greenwich Park means you will be walking in the footsteps of past Kings and Queens.
In 1427 the Crown gained ownership of a 200 acre estate in the area of the current day Greenwich Park. The estate was subsequently passed to Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester by his nephew King Henry VI. Around this period the heathland was likely used for hawking. The next century saw the introduction of deer by King Henry VIII who used the estate for hunting.
Henry developed the area by building a house by the Thames and a small castle as well as Duke Humphrey's Tower. In 1675 King Charles II chose the site of the by now delapitated castle as the site for Greenwich Observatory.
A brick wall enclosed the park during the reign of King James I and extensive landscaping was undertaken in the seventeenth century and the park opened to the public in the eighteenth century.
Greenwich is the oldest of London's deer parks with dedicated platforms where visitors can view the fallow and red deer herd. Ancient trees and undisturbed secluded woodlands offer refuge for insects, animals and nesting birds.
The education facility at the Secret Garden Wildlife Centre is an interesting visit if you want to brush up on your flora and fauna knowledge.
London's largest herbaceous border at 200 metres long can be enjoyed just in front of the Queen's House. Other floral attractions of the park include the Rose Garden, the Herb Garden and the Queen's Orchard, which is home to a variety of heritage fruit trees dating back to the sixteenth century.
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