{"id":690,"date":"2016-03-25T16:40:19","date_gmt":"2016-03-25T16:40:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/?p=690"},"modified":"2021-04-20T19:58:39","modified_gmt":"2021-04-20T18:58:39","slug":"royal-greenwich","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/2016\/03\/25\/royal-greenwich\/","title":{"rendered":"Royal Greenwich"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Wren's<\/a>

Wren’s magnificent Naval Hospital frames Inigo Jones’ Queens House and Wren’s Royal Observatory atop the hill<\/p><\/div>\n

Greenwich makes a great day out for both ordinary and scientific tourists, with a wealth of historical, cultural and architectural attractions, not to mention some of the best views in London. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It is, after all, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Its credentials as an unmissable destination for the Scientific Tourist are unimpeachable.<\/p>\n

\"Royal<\/a>

Royal Observatory Greenwich – Established in 1675 by Charles II to Solve the Longitude Problem<\/p><\/div>\n

Located on a great meander of the Thames, just a few miles downriver from central London, Greenwich itself and neighbouring Blackheath are an elegant, wealthy enclave in grimy South East London. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Greenwich is dominated by the fine Royal Park, which runs steeply uphill from a narrow strip of land along the river. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Personally, I think Greenwich is worth a couple of days, especially in fine weather, unless you are particularly indefatigable and try to cram it all into one.
<\/p>\n

However, it\u2019s undeniable that it becomes very crowded during the summer, when not only it is a major tourist draw, but also a mandatory destination for tour parties of young students and school kids. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0That just confirms Greenwich\u2019s attractiveness, but the museums can be busy (and noisy), and the central area a little too packed to be comfortable. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Thankfully, the park (the oldest in London), the naval hospital\/college, and the river walks all provide respite from the crowds.<\/p>\n

A great part of the charm of the place is best appreciated in fine weather, when locals and tourists alike throng the markets, shops and restaurants, and sun themselves in the Royal Park. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0So, unless you are lucky with winter sunshine, go in early spring or late autumn, and try to get there early.\u00a0 Fortunately, excellent transport links make that easy to do.\u00a0\u00a0 Probably the most scenic route is by the river-buses, which run from central London.<\/p>\n

A busy road runs through the centre of town, where the markets, pubs and restaurants are located, but the elegant edifices of the Old Royal Naval College and Hospital front the river. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The newly restored tea clipper, the Cutty Sark, is also here, next to the foot tunnel and the riverboat jetty. \u00a0 You will probably recognise the graceful buildings with their impressive courts and porticoes, from the many films for which they have provided backdrops.<\/p>\n

It’s easy to be distracted by the crowds and traffic around the central square, but try to find a moment to appreciate Nicholas Hawksmoor’s fine church (St Alphege), his first in London.<\/p>\n

Across the road, the National Maritime Museum, with its equally grand buildings, begins the park and frames the Old Royal Observatory at the top of the hill.<\/p>\n

\"Wren's<\/a>

Wren’s Royal Naval Hospital has provided backdrops for several films.<\/p><\/div>\n

Greenwich is one of those destinations where, for the Scientific Tourist, a sense of place is almost more interesting than the attractions themselves.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Above all, it is the link between Britain\u2019s needs as a maritime nation and the establishment of astronomical science and measurements, that is so clearly seen at Greenwich. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 400 years or more of the complex interplay of science and technology with exploration, trade and, of course, warfare, are all laid out around you.\u00a0 Greenwich shows clearly how science was both the cause and result of maritime success, which in turn paid for these magnificent buildings.<\/p>\n

\"Altazimuth<\/a>

Altazimuth Pavilion.\u00a0 Named for the original telescope mounting, now houses a heliograph<\/p><\/div>\n

For anyone with an interest in the history of science, especially within a social or historical context, then Greenwich evokes a myriad of stories to be told, and connections to be made. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The Royal Observatory was the first purpose-built research establishment in Britain, and Edmund Halley (the second Astronomer Royal) commanded the first voyage by a naval ship for purely scientific purposes. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The intertwined stories of committees and state-funded science are fascinatingly told in the story of the search for the longitude (see Review of Longitude by Dava Sobel<\/a>). \u00a0\u00a0The awarding of prizes as an encouragement to innovation, and the perennial problems of funded, goal-seeking research, were all played out here 300 years ago, as much as they are today.<\/p>\n

\"Harrison's<\/a>

Harrison’s Chronometer H1<\/p><\/div>\n

The observatory (and the post of Astronomer Royal) was established for the main purpose of providing celestial charts and timetables for navigation and the determining of the elusive Longitude. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0In the end, it was John Harrison\u2019s development of accurate, reliable chronometers that solved this vital problem, and several of his wonderful machines are on display in the observatory.<\/p>\n

\"Horologist<\/a>

Horologist at work in the Royal Observatory<\/p><\/div>\n

Greenwich became the world centre of time, becoming the Prime Meridian from which time (and longitude) are measured. \u00a0\u00a0The observatory has exhibits ranging from the earliest timepieces to atomic clocks. \u00a0 And of course, the six pips of the Greenwich time signal have been transmitted (though not from here) for many years and are world-famous.<\/p>\n

\"One<\/a>

One of 24 Marine Chronometers carried aboard HMS Beagle. See Review of the Voyage of the Beagle<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

There is the complex interplay of commerce, science and engineering involved in the whole story. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0All this is laid out very clearly at Greenwich, where Wren’s architecture shows off the enormous wealth generated by the merchant fleets, protected as they were by the Royal Navy. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Some have even suggested that Britain’s expansion into an empire was at least partly facilitated by the superior navigational abilities that Harrison’s chronometers provided.<\/p>\n

\"Harrison's<\/a>

Harrison’s Chronometer H4 – Which Proved the Practicality of Chronometers to Determine Longitude at Sea<\/p><\/div>\n

Not to neglect the purely scientific aspects, the Observatory houses a collection of astronomical instruments of historical interest as well as more modern instruments, and London’s only planetarium. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Although the main bulk of the observatory’s scientific and technical work has long since been relocated to more suitable climes or been outsourced elsewhere, a walk through Flamsteed House, seeing how some of the great men of astronomy (Halley, Maskelyne, Bradley, and Herschel, not to mention Flamsteed himself) lived and worked, is a wonderfully atmospheric experience.<\/p>\n

The observatory runs a popular outreach programme and, if you are lucky with timing and weather, the resident (but, alas, not Royal) astronomers demonstrate practical observation.<\/p>\n

\"Planetarium\"<\/a>

Planetarium<\/p><\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Ornate<\/a>

Ornate Building houses exhibitions and staff<\/p><\/div>\n

Speaking of Halley, he was quite a pioneer of Scientific Tourism himself.\u00a0\u00a0 He was twice given command of Royal Navy vessels to sail down to St Helena in the South Atlantic, where he observed the transit of Mercury as well as mapping the southern stars. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Scientific Tourism was more valued and riskier in those days, and his first command ended in a near mutiny. \u00a0(See Edmond Halley – An illustrious Scientific Tourist<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The names of Royal Astronomers decorate the Building<\/p><\/div>\n

Around the back of Flamsteed House, you can see the remaining bottom end of Herschel’s 40ft telescope. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Probably the greatest Astronomer Royal we never had, Herschel was a skilled and prolific telescope maker whose instruments were in demand all over the world. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0There is one in the Vienna Technical Museum (see Vienna Technical Museum<\/a>) similar to the 9ft one he used to discover Uranus.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The Base of Herschel’s 40ft Telescope<\/p><\/div>\n

The Naval College (originally a home for retired seamen – how grand is that?) provided vital training for the officers who protected the mercantile fleet and established the empire. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It once held a working nuclear reactor for training purposes, but this was removed in 1999. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It was almost certainly the world’s only reactor housed in a 17th-century building designed by Sir Christopher Wren.<\/p>\n

Wren also designed Flamsteed House, and if you stand by General Wolfe’s statue by the Meridian Line and look upriver, you can also see Wren’s iconic masterpiece, St Paul’s Cathedral. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Wren was also renowned for astronomy and mathematics, as well as his more well-known achievements as an architect. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Robert Hooke, so famous for his work on microscopes and springs, supervised the building of the observatory.<\/p>\n

(Nothing to do with science, but amusing nonetheless, is that Wolfe is said to have recited Gray’s Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard<\/em> to his officers before the battle of Quebec for which he is mostly remembered, adding: “Gentlemen, I would rather have written that poem than take Quebec tomorrow.”\u00a0 Which no doubt filled his troops with confidence!)<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The National Maritime Museum<\/p><\/div>\n

At the National Maritime Museum, this Scientific Tourist was a little disappointed to see that the museum concentrates more on the historical than the scientific or technical, but there is still plenty to see. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It’s big on trade, but less informative on the technologies that made it possible. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0For instance, the SS Great Eastern surely deserves an exhibition. \u00a0 Nevertheless, it hammers home the relationship between science and technology and wealth and trade.<\/p>\n

\"Ship's<\/a>

Ship’s Figureheads in the National Maritime Museum<\/p><\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The Cutty Sark, Viewed From Beer Garden<\/p><\/div>\n

Down in the town you can see the Cutty Sark, an example of the final culmination of a technology (sail power) just before it was replaced by steam. \u00a0\u00a0The Cutty Sark was designed to be an ocean-going greyhound, speeding the cargoes from the very furthest reaches of the empire. \u00a0 She has now been extensively restored and re-mounted. \u00a0\u00a0 It is impossible not to feel some of the romance and adventure of the great days of sail. \u00a0\u00a0 Look out for the sailor aloft on the yardarms to add a touch of the deadly dangerous reality.<\/p>\n

\"Bow<\/a>

Bow of the Cutty Sark<\/p><\/div>\n

Ironically, Isambard K Brunel’s last great steamship the Great Eastern, was built across the river. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Designed for the Britain to Australia run without refuelling, the Great Eastern was by far the largest ship of her time, built with the then innovative double hull, and powered by steam-driven paddles and screw, she was a bold piece of engineering, designed to supplant sail. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 She was launched sideways into the river by hydraulic rams built by Tangye of Birmingham. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The same Tangye built the steam pumps at Brede (see Whispering Giants<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\"Preparing<\/a>

Preparing to Launch the SS Great Eastern<\/p><\/div>\n

Never a commercial success, she was later converted to lay cable and established the first successful trans-Atlantic link. You can still see some traces of the slipway.<\/p>\n

Tips<\/h1>\n

Dava Sobell’s book, ‘Longitude – The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time.<\/em><\/a>‘ is well worth reading before you visit. <\/p>\n

Even more worth reading is the excellent ‘Finding Longitude – \u2013 How Ships, Clocks and Stars Helped Solve The Longitude Problem<\/em><\/a>\u2019 by Richard Dunn and Rebekah Higgitt.<\/p>\n

The ascent from the riverside up to the observatory etc. is about 30m, and there is no transport available.* \u00a0\u00a0 The most direct ascent is rather steep. For a gentler approach, use the main avenue. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0If you are disabled, consider taking a bus to the Blackheath gate and walking down to town.<\/p>\n

The Maritime Museum and the Old Royal Observatory both have cafes serving a variety of hot and cold food, and both have terraces to enjoy the sun. However, while the fare offered is perfectly acceptable, the prices are very high, even for Greenwich. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a35.50p (2016 – probably a lot more now) for a small bottle (330ml) of \u2018craft\u2019 beer is quite frankly a rip-off, although you could take the view that by spending your money there you not only get a chance to take a break during your tour, but you are also, albeit indirectly, supporting the museums.
The prices in the cafes in the park are slightly more reasonable but still high. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Better to stock up at a supermarket, and picnic in the park, as many locals do. \u00a0\u00a0 Greenwich is packed with restaurants of varying prices and standards, and there are plenty of food stalls in the market. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Less expensive and touristy restaurants can be found a few hundred metres east along Trafalgar Road.<\/p>\n

Although all the tourists jostle to take their selfies at the Prime Meridian line in the courtyard of Flamsteed House, the modern meridian actually runs about 100m eastwards along the path towards where the fallen bole of Queen Elizabeth’s Oak lies today. \u00a0\u00a0 So if you want to stand astride the line separating East and West, take the footpath.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The Prime Meridian also runs through this quiet path leading to the Astronomer’s Garden.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Astronomer<\/a>

Astronomer Royal’s Balcony and the 1pm time-ball used by ships to set their chronometers before setting out on a voyage – a reminder of the time when the Port of London was the world’s greatest port.<\/p><\/div>\n

Speaking of the Meridian, a small footpath leads from the Electric Clock outside Flamsteed House, where most people gather to take pictures, down around the house to the Astronomer’s Garden, passing over the Meridian Line on the way. \u00a0 \u00a0The Astronomer’s Garden is a quiet, pretty little place to enjoy some tranquillity.<\/p>\n

\"Dome<\/a>

Dome Seen From the Astronomer’s Garden<\/p><\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Dome<\/a>

Dome Housing<\/p><\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Sculptural<\/a>

Sculptural trees in the formal Flower Garden<\/p><\/div>\n

Don\u2019t miss the formal Flower Gardens at the Blackheath end of the park, or the Deer Park nearby. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The gardens are very well maintained and contain some fine trees. \u00a0 \u00a0Take a few moments to enjoy both the waterfowl in the lake and the rockeries, including the heather gardens. \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Herds of Red and Fallow deer occupy their own little wilderness area behind the shrubberies.<\/p>\n

\"Squirrel<\/a>

The local wildlife is friendly to the point of over-familiarity!<\/p><\/div>\n

Also at the Blackheath side of the park is Ranger’s House, a fine Georgian villa housing a worthwhile collection of fine art and elegant crafts.<\/p>\n

If you’re around for a few days, there is a local scientific society, Blackheath Scientific Society – which arranges authoritative and interesting lectures from October to May, and visits to sites of scientific interest
http:\/\/www.bss.btik.com\/AboutUs<\/a><\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The Trafalgar Tavern. Previously famous for its whitebait suppers, which were a traditional welcome for newly-elected Members of Parliament attended by Cabinet Ministers.<\/p><\/div>\n

Away from the park, try to take a stroll along the riverside east of the Naval College, past the Trafalgar Tavern, to see some interesting architecture before arriving at the Cutty Sark pub.<\/p>\n

\"Trinity<\/a>

Trinity Hospice (Founded 1661) Almshouses sits beside the power station on the riverside.<\/p><\/div>\n

The juxtaposition of two obsolete antiquated edifices is somehow pleasing.<\/p>\n

\"Power<\/a>

Power Station Jetty by the Naval Hospice<\/p><\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Cutty<\/a>

Cutty Sark Pub. You can enjoy a beer outside overlooking the river.<\/p><\/div>\n

The best view of the Royal Naval College, Queen\u2019s House and the Observatory, in all their architectural glory, is from the Isle of Dogs, which can be reached by a foot tunnel under the Thames.\u00a0 \u00a0Canaletto painted this view from here.<\/p>\n

\"View<\/a>

View of Naval Hospital by Canaletto<\/p><\/div>\n

Do check that the London Marathon (which begins in the park) is not being run when you visit!<\/p>\n

Practical<\/h1>\n

Museums at Greenwich website; http:\/\/www.rmg.co.uk\/<\/a>
Royal Parks website for events etc. https:\/\/www.royalparks.org.uk\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n

* There have been small road trains in the past, ferrying people around – there’s even one featured on the Park’s website. However, I’d definitely try to get confirmation from the Park (good luck!) before relying on them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Greenwich makes a great day out for both ordinary and scientific tourists, with a wealth of historical, cultural and architectural attractions, not to mention some of the best views in London. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It is, after all, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Its credentials as an unmissable destination for the Scientific Tourist are unimpeachable. Located on a great meander of the Thames, just a few miles downriver from central London, Greenwich itself and neighbouring Blackheath are an elegant, wealthy enclave in grimy South East London. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Greenwich is dominated by the fine Royal Park, which runs steeply uphill from a narrow strip of land along the river. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Personally, I think Greenwich is worth a couple of days, especially in fine weather, unless you … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,21,8,11,36,19,6,10,7],"tags":[24,23,31,25,12,20,30],"class_list":["post-690","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-astronomy","category-greenwich","category-history","category-history-of-science","category-history-of-technology","category-museum","category-places","category-science","category-technology","tag-astronomy","tag-greenwich","tag-history","tag-history-of-science","tag-history-of-technology","tag-museum","tag-technology"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6XHo8-b8","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":742,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/2016\/03\/25\/review-of-longitude-the-true-story-of-a-lone-genius-who-solved-the-greatest-scientific-problem-of-his-time-by-dava-sobel\/","url_meta":{"origin":690,"position":0},"title":"Review of ‘Longitude – The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time’ by Dava Sobel","author":"ablockhead","date":"25th March 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Dava Sobel's popular little book (208 pages) is pretty much essential reading for any Scientific Tourist planning to visit Greenwich.\u00a0 Even if you are not, or if you have already been, I think it is still worth picking up this intriguing, easy to read tale as background reading.*\u00a0 At its\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Astronomy"","block_context":{"text":"Astronomy","link":"https:\/\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/category\/astronomy\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Cover for The Illustrated Longitude - Galleon foundering in heavy seas","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2016\/03\/LongitudeCover800.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1472,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/2021\/04\/20\/review-of-finding-longitude-how-ships-clocks-and-stars-helped-solve-the-longitude-problem-by-richard-dunn-and-rebekah-higgitt\/","url_meta":{"origin":690,"position":1},"title":"Review of ‘Finding Longitude – How Ships, Clocks and Stars Helped Solve The Longitude Problem’","author":"ablockhead","date":"20th April 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Richard Dunn and Rebekah Higgitt Cover Art for 'Finding Longitude' Richard Dunn and Rebekah Higgitt In the current pandemic, the Scientific Tourist is restricted to armchair travel, but can at least anticipate future trips and reflect on previous travels.\u00a0 This book is excellent as preparation for visiting Greenwich, and reading\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Astronomy"","block_context":{"text":"Astronomy","link":"https:\/\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/category\/astronomy\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/Maskelyne_Nevil144px.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/Maskelyne_Nevil144px.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/Maskelyne_Nevil144px.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/Maskelyne_Nevil144px.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":594,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/2015\/08\/03\/vienna-technical-museum\/","url_meta":{"origin":690,"position":2},"title":"Vienna Technical Museum","author":"ablockhead","date":"3rd August 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"The Vienna Technisches Museum is housed, in the usual Viennese custom, in a grand white building, but you enter it via an underground atrium that looks as though it was originally designed as a car park. Nonetheless, once inside, the usual combination of efficiency, friendliness and impressive public spaces are\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "History"","block_context":{"text":"History","link":"https:\/\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/category\/history\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Early X-Ray Machine","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/08\/OldMachineVandB246.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/08\/OldMachineVandB246.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/08\/OldMachineVandB246.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/08\/OldMachineVandB246.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":584,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/2015\/07\/07\/vienna\/","url_meta":{"origin":690,"position":3},"title":"Vienna","author":"ablockhead","date":"7th July 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"The Scientific Tourist very much enjoyed his brief visit to Vienna.\u00a0\u00a0 The city is everything a European capital should be;\u00a0 elegant, clean, safe, and devoted to knowledge and culture. \u00a0\u00a0 Grand but graceful buildings are set along wide, tree-lined boulevards, and even on the side streets the apartment blocks are\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "History"","block_context":{"text":"History","link":"https:\/\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/category\/history\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Iconic Ferris Wheel at Prater Park","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/07\/Prater-Wheel.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/07\/Prater-Wheel.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/07\/Prater-Wheel.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/07\/Prater-Wheel.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":243,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/2015\/01\/13\/dungeness-a-surreal-landscape-and-nuclear-power\/","url_meta":{"origin":690,"position":4},"title":"Dungeness – A Surreal Landscape and Nuclear Power","author":"ablockhead","date":"13th January 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"shingle A great, lonely, flat, spit of shingle projecting out into the English Channel from Romney Marshes might not sound enticing, especially compared to the popular Camber Sands nearby, but it's well worth a visit by both the\u00a0 Scientific Tourist and the ordinary kind.\u00a0 Even at the height of summer\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Books"","block_context":{"text":"Books","link":"https:\/\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/category\/books\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/08\/Zagai_Island_Landsat.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":217,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/2015\/01\/11\/hastings\/","url_meta":{"origin":690,"position":5},"title":"Hastings","author":"ablockhead","date":"11th January 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Hastings is a small town on the South Coast of England where in 1066, as every British schoolboy knows, the English King Harold lost the eponymous battle and was killed, thereby allowing a successful Norman invasion. \u00a0\u00a0Actually, of course, the battle took place some miles away, at what is now\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Hastings"","block_context":{"text":"Hastings","link":"https:\/\/blogs.control-g.co.uk\/sciencetourist\/category\/hastings\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Detail from the Bayeux Tapestry (c.1070) commemorating the last successful invasion of England, by Guillaume le B\u00e2tard (AKA William the Conqueror) in 1066. 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