Page 246 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - London

244  L ONDON AREA B Y AREA

1 National
Maritime Museum
Romney Rd SE10. Map 23 C2. Tel 020
8858 4422. 1 Cutty Sark DLR.
3 Greenwich. Open 10am–5pm
daily (ground floor till 6pm Jul–Aug).
Closed 24–26 Dec. & special
exhibitions. ^ 7 - = Lectures.
∑ rmg.co.uk
The sea has always played an
important role in British history,
and this museum – built in the
19th century as a school for
sailors’ children – celebrates
this seafaring heritage, from
early British trade and empire to
the expeditions of Captain Cook,
and from the Napoleonic Wars
through to the modern day.
The Sammy Ofer wing, the
biggest development in
the museum’s history, boasts
“the Wave”, a 20-m (65-ft)
audiovisual installation in
which images and films from
the museum’s vast archives unfurl
in dramatic, thematic journeys.
The Nelson gallery looks at
the course of British maritime
history over the tumultuous
18th century, a period when
seafaring heroes were national The Canary Wharf skyline, with The Queen’s House in the foreground
celebrities. A star exhibit is
the uniform that Lord Horatio 2 The Queen’s Presence Chambers and the
Nelson was wearing when House spiral cantilevered “tulip
he was shot at the Battle of staircase”, which curves
Trafalgar in October 1805. Romney Rd SE10. Map 23 C2. sinuously upwards without a
Rather more spectacular is Tel 020 8858 4422. 1 Cutty Sark DLR. central support. The house
the royal barge built for Prince 3 Greenwich. Open 10am–5pm focuses on the art collection of
daily. Closed 24–26 Dec. ^ 7 -
Frederick in 1732, decorated with = ∑ rmg.co.uk the National Maritime Museum.
gilded mermaids and his Prince Following refurbishment in
of Wales’s feathers on the stern. The Queen’s House was 2016, the Queen’s House
Throughout the museum there designed by Inigo Jones features Turner Prize-winner
are numerous activities for and completed in 1637. Richard Wright’s gold leaf art
children, such as navigating It was originally intended installation on the ceiling of
a ship around the world on to be the home of Anne the Great Hall.
the Great Map. of Denmark, wife of
James I, but she died
while it was still being 3 St Alfege Church
built and it was finished for Greenwich Church St SE10. Map 23 B2.
Charles I’s queen consort, Tel 020 8853 0687. 1 Cutty Sark DLR.
Henrietta Maria. After the Civil Open 11am–4pm Mon–Fri, 10am–4pm
War it was briefly occupied by Sat, noon–4pm Sun. 5 5:30pm Tue
Henrietta as dowager queen, & Wed, 8am Thu & Sun, 9:30am Sat,
but was not much used by the 10am Sun 7 if accompanied.
royal family after that. Concerts. ∑ st-alfege.org
From 1821 to 1933 the Royal
Hospital School was housed This is one of Nicholas
here, and in the late 20th Hawksmoor’s most distinctive
century the building was and powerful designs, with its
refurbished. Period highlights gigantic columns and pedi ments
Prince Frederick’s barge at the National include the square Great Hall, topped by urns. It was completed
Maritime Musueum the King’s and Queen’s in 1714 on the site of an older

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