Little
did I know as I made my trek to the National Maritime Museum that I would soon
become acquainted with very possibly my new favorite location in London. In
accordance with a history course I am taking for my philosophy minor, my
intended visiting purpose was the Ships, Clocks & Stars exhibition.
I ended
up in a place called Maze Hill, which required three changes on the Underground
and one on the Overground to reach. However, I quickly became enraptured with
what I saw of the London skyline, just peeping above the trees in Greenwich
Park. As soon as I spied the familiar silhouettes of the Shard and the Gherkin,
I knew that the view had immense potential if I could perch myself somewhere
with higher elevation. First, I had to attend to the matter at hand.
The
National Maritime Museum is essentially situated inside the outermost edges of Greenwich Park. I had a beautiful day
for exploring, most uncharacteristic of October weather. The sun was beating
down gloriously over the vast greenery that surrounded me, ideal for bouncy
dogs, lazy strolls, lovers’ trysts, and makeshift picnics alike.
Just as
an explorer sets sail in search of land, I found my equivalent. The museum was
landmarked with a gigantic ship in a bottle. I was sad to substitute the sun with
the cooler indoors, but the museum’s main foyer was quaint all the same. To my
right were numerous tables and chairs, with an inviting sign: “Enjoy your
packed lunch here! And why not take in the lovely view while you are at it.”
The museum seemed to share my sentiments in regards to the view and tapped into
my childhood reverie of school trips consisting of clipboard questions and ham
sandwiches.
To
commemorate the 300th anniversary of the passing of the Longitude
Act in 1714, the Ships, Clocks & Stars exhibition details how we eventually
arrived at a solution to solve the age-old problem of navigating by longitude
(distance east and west). The Longitude Act offered rewards to those who could
propose such a solution, with the methods of clocks and stars emerging victorious
in the end. All of John Harrison’s five timekeepers were truly a marvel to be
seen together, their intricacies amplified and their inner workings fascinating
to behold.
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| John Harrison's H1 timekeeper, photo courtesy of the National Maritime Museum |
The
National Maritime Museum would not normally be my cup of tea, but as far as I’m
concerned, I am always ready and raring to explore new areas of London. I once
set myself a mental goal to alight at every tube station in London, but perhaps
that was a little overambitious on my part. Nonetheless, I did find the
exhibition interesting. I particularly enjoyed the wall-sized map pinpointing
over a dozen of London’s coffee houses during the 1700s and the accompanying
coffee cups on display.
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| This statue outside of the museum honors King William IV, who was known as the "Sailor King" |
It was
and still is dangerous to travel at sea, which is why discovering better ways
of navigating had been a vexing problem since the late 1400s. Advances in
navigation might not have made the seas any less treacherous, but they
certainly made them safer and more manageable. I found it surprising that the
quest for longitude was mocked or seen as a “get rich quick” scheme. William
Hogarth’s A Rake’s Progress (Plate 8) was
particularly jarring, depicting a link between the search for longitude and
madness.
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| William Hogarth's A Rake's Progress (Plate 8), 1735, shows an inmate of Bethlem Royal Hospital (Bedlam) sketching Humphrey Ditton and William Whiston's signalling proposal and other longitude ideas on the hospital wall, photo courtesy of Tate |
After my
tour of the exhibition, I was pleased to learn that the sun had not yet
retreated behind a cloud. A group of people, looking miniscule from a distance,
had already congregated at the top of a hill. Working up a sweat, I climbed
that hill with fervor in anticipation of what I would see. The view overlooking
the River Thames was truly breathtaking, a view to die for in every sense of
the phrase. To my left, the Shard and the Gherkin proudly stood out amidst the
rest of the skyscrapers, while to my right, the O2 Arena nestled itself in
comfortably, looking like the back of an enormous tortoise shell.
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With the Royal Observatory seen on the right, this was my view from below after leaving my prime spot at the top of the hill with the others (left)
|
This is
the view that I wanted to share with you all, because let’s be honest, it’s too
good not to:
I spy with my little eye...
Not only
is a fantastic view awaiting you, but at the top of the hill, you will also
find The Royal Observatory, which was commissioned in 1675 by King Charles II.
The Royal Observatory in Greenwich is the home of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and
the Prime Meridian of the world. You can snap a photo standing on the Meridian
Line and visit London’s only planetarium.
Even
after two years in London (wow, how time flies!), I still experience “pinch me”
moments all the time, and this was certainly one of them. Although Greenwich is
quite far away from Central London, the trip is more than worth it, and I
guarantee you’ll be pinching yourself all the way home. To plan your visit,
view the Royal Museums Greenwich homepage here. The Ships, Clocks & Stars exhibition runs until January 4, 2015.
