Greenwich is one of London’s most iconic and interesting boroughs, situated about half an hour by train or boat from central London.
I’m the lucky person who was asked by Malcolm Ball, owner of Beyond the Map London Tours and Walks, to come up with some Tavern Tours – designed to be interesting walks interspersed with stops at some of London’s iconic taverns and pubs.
I have developed two so far; one which starts at St Katharine’s Dock next to the Tower of London and ends in an historic tavern in Wapping that has been around for around 400 years. Here you can walk in the footsteps of famous sailors and judges, or sailors, pirates and smugglers.
The riverside streets are still full of atmosphere and the same can certainly be said of the 2nd tour I developed – around Greenwich.
The challenge for me – having visited it on and off for 40 years now, was how to give our walkers a flavour of the place in the 3 hours that we allot for our tours, but also to tempt them to perhaps spend a bit more time here, or to come back another time, to find out more about the place.
This blog gives some information about some of the places along that walk that were just touched on during the tour, with the hope of enticing you for another look.
The Greenwich Tavern Tour starts by the Cutty Sark museum. You can’t miss the restored tea clipper – right by the river and the museum is open daily and family-friendly.
One of the 1st clues on the tour is about what these unusual buildings are, situated just next to the clipper.
If you fancy increasing your step count today, including 180 stairs, be bold and enter the building and have a walk of about 20 minutes there and back to a “canine” destination. The Parish Church of Greenwich has a fascinating history.
It is called St Alfege and there has been a church on the site for nearly 1,000 years. Apart from regular Church Services – details are available on www.st-alfege.org.uk Tel 020 8853 0687 @stAlfegeChurch, the building is open to the public at other times, and entrance is free.
Although not actually documented, it is assumed that it is the place where King Henry VIII had both Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary Tudor were baptised. As there was no chapel built at Henry VIII’s “Palace of Planitia” that preceded Queen Mary’s House and the Old Royal Naval College, it is assumed that the princesses were christened at St Alfege.
It is also the place where one of the country’s most famous composers, Thomas Tallis, was the organist, and part of the organ he played can still be seen. It is also where General James Wolfe was buried.
You may have seen his monument and house at the top of Greenwich Park. The church is certainly a fascinating place to pop into for a few minutes of history and contemplation.
The church is just a few moment’s walk away from The Old Royal Naval College, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The BTML tour includes a walk through the grounds of the college, following a walk up the hill to the Royal Observatory and the Meridian time line, where you can enjoy some amazing views over this part of town.
Although the buildings are no longer part of the Royal Navy and now belong to the University of Greenwich and Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music, you can sometimes hear the singers rehearsing when you walk round (the singing is extremely good, of course).
There is free public access to the site as a whole, but the Painted Hall, Chapel and Visitor Centre are open daily from 10am to 5pm. It was opened in 1694 and is one of the best examples of English baroque architecture.
The Painted Hall is also just around the corner from one of the taverns that we recommend you visit on the tour – The Trafalgar Inn. Enjoy every moment and have a Gin for me!