Visit Greenwich Places

Welcome to Visit Greenwich Places
The Walkfo guide to things to do & explore in Greenwich

  

Greenwich Places Overview: History, Culture & Facts about Greenwich

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Greenwich history

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Toponymy

The place-name ‘Greenwich’ is first attested in an Anglo-Saxon charter of 918, where it appears as Gronewic . The name means ‘green wic’, indicating that Greenwich was what is known as a -wich town or emporium . The settlement later became known as East Greenwich to distinguish it from West Greenwich or Deptford Strond .

Early settlement

Tumuli to the south-west of Flamsteed House, in Greenwich Park, are thought to be early Bronze Age barrows . To the east between the Vanbrugh and Maze Hill Gates is the site of a Roman villa or temple . A small area of red paving tesserae protected by railings marks the spot .

Viking

St Alfege’s Church was built on the site west of the town centre . During the reign of Ethelred the Unready, the Danish fleet anchored in the River Thames off Greenwich for over three years . From here they attacked Kent and, in the year 1012, took the city of Canterbury, making Archbishop Alphege their prisoner for seven months in their camp at Greenwich . They stoned him to death for his refusal to allow his ransom (3,000 pieces of silver) to be paid; and kept his body, until the blossoming of a stick that had been immersed in his blood . For this miracle his body was released to his followers, he achieved sainthood for his martyrdom .

Norman

The name of the hundred was changed to Blackheath when the site of the 100 court was moved there in the 12th century . A royal palace, or hunting lodge, has existed here since before 1300, when Edward I made offerings at the chapel of the Virgin Mary .

Plantagenet

The palace was created by Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, Henry V’s half-brother and the regent to Henry VI in 1447 . It was renamed the Palace of Placentia or Pleasaunce by Henry VI’s consort Margaret of Anjou after Humphrey’s death . The palace and its grounds were a royal possession that it was chosen as the site for Charles II’s Royal Observatory .

Tudor

Greenwich Palace was the principal residence of Henry VII whose sons Henry (later Henry VIII) and Edmund Tudor were born here, and baptised in St Alphege’s . Henry VIII married Catherine of Aragon and Anne of Cleves at Greenwich Palace . His son Edward VI also died there at age 15 . The palace of Placentia became Elizabeth’s favourite summer residence .

Stuart

James I carried out the final remodelling work on Greenwich Palace, granting the manor to his wife Queen Anne of Denmark . Queen Anne commissioned Inigo Jones to design and build the surviving Queen’s House as the final addition to the palace . During the English Civil War, the palace was used as a biscuit factory and prisoner-of-war camp .

Hanoverian

George I landed at Greenwich from Hanover on his accession in 1714 . George II granted the Royal Hospital for Seamen the forfeited estates of the Jacobite Earl of Derwentwater . George IV donated nearly 40 paintings to the hospital in 1824, at a stroke creating a gallery in the Painted Hall . These now form the Greenwich Hospital Collection at the National Maritime Museum .

Victorian and Edwardian

In 1838 the London and Greenwich Railway completed the very first steam railway in London . It started at London Bridge and had its terminus at London Street (now Greenwich High Road) In 1853 the local Scottish Presbyterian community built a church, St Mark’s, nearby . In 1864 opposite the railway terminus, Sefton Parry built the thousand seater New Greenwich Theatre . The theatre was demolished in 1937 to make way for a new Town Hall .

Modern and the present

George V and Queen Mary both supported the creation of the National Maritime Museum . The Prince Albert, Duke of York laid the foundation stone of the new Royal Hospital School when it moved out to Holbrook, Suffolk . The Queen embarked at Greenwich for the Silver Jubilee of 1977 for the Jubilee River Pageant . The London Borough of Greenwich will become the fourth to have Royal Borough status .

Greenwich geography / climate

Topography

Greenwich is bordered by Deptford Creek and Deptford to the west; the residential area of Westcombe Park to the east; the River Thames to the north; and the A2 and Blackheath to the south . The Greenwich Peninsula, also known as North Greenwich, forms the main projection of the town .

Nearby areas

Blackheath Charlton Deptford Greenwich Peninsula Eltham Kidbrooke Lewisham New Cross Plumstead Shooters Hill Surrey Quays Thamesmead Westcombe Park Woolwich Welling Falconwood Abbey Wood .

Climate

Greenwich has an oceanic climate (Cfb) with warm summers and cool winters . Historically, the record high is 100 °F (38 °C) on 9 August 1911 .

You can visit Greenwich places with Walkfo Greenwich to hear history at Greenwich’s places whilst walking around using the free digital tour app. Walkfo Greenwich has 389 places to visit in our interactive Greenwich map, with amazing history, culture & travel facts you can explore the same way you would at a museum or art gallery with information audio headset. With Walkfo, you can travel by foot, bike or bus throughout Greenwich, being in the moment, without digital distraction or limits to a specific walking route. Our historic audio walks, National Trust interactive audio experiences, digital tour guides for English Heritage locations are available at Greenwich places, with a AI tour guide to help you get the best from a visit to Greenwich & the surrounding areas.

“Curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 389 audio facts unique to Greenwich places in an interactive Greenwich map you can explore.”

Walkfo: Visit Greenwich Places Map
389 tourist, history, culture & geography spots

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Greenwich historic spots	Greenwich tourist destinations	Greenwich plaques	Greenwich geographic features
Walkfo Greenwich tourism map key: places to see & visit like National Trust sites, Blue Plaques, English Heritage locations & top tourist destinations in Greenwich

  

Best Greenwich places to visit

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Greenwich has places to explore by foot, bike or bus. Below are a selection of the varied Greenwich’s destinations you can visit with additional content available at the Walkfo Greenwich’s information audio spots:

Deptford Park Deptford Park is a public park in Deptford south-east London . It is owned by London Borough of Lewisham and owned by the London boroughs .

Evelyn (ward) Evelyn is an electoral ward in the northernmost part of the London Borough of Lewisham . It covers the northern part of Deptford on the south bank of the River Thames . Evelyn borders wards from three other London Boroughs, Greenwich West, Surrey Docks and Southwark .

Holy Trinity Church, Rotherhithe Holy Trinity Church is a Church of England parish church in Rotherhithe, south east London, within the diocese of Southwark .

Aragon Tower Aragon Tower on the Pepys Estate in Deptford, is one of London’s tallest privately owned residential towers at 92 metres with 29 floors . It contains 158 residential apartments ranging from 2 to 3 bedrooms .

Gilbert’s Pit Gilbert’s Pit is a geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Charlton . It was notified in 1985 and was formerly known as Charlton Sand Pit . It adjoins Maryon Park and is close to Maryon Wilson Park .

Charlton cemetery Charlton cemetery is a cemetery, opened in 1855, covering 15 acres of ground in Charlton, south-east London . Situated in Cemetery Lane to the east of Charlton Park, features two 19th-century chapels and numerous military graves .

Victoria House, Greenwich Victoria House, Greenwich on Shooter’s Hill in Greenwich is the former officers mess’ and living quarters for the Royal Army Medical Corps . It is a “Building of Local Architectural or Historic Interest”

Greenwich Cemetery Greenwich Cemetery is a cemetery in the Royal Borough of Greenwich in southeast London . It is situated on the southwestern slopes of Shooter’s Hill, on the western side of the A205 South Circular, Well Hall Road .

Mycenae House Mycenae House is a community centre housed in a former convent building adjacent to the Georgian villa, Woodlands House, in Greenwich, London .

Ladywell Fields Ladywell Fields is a public park in the London Borough of Lewisham created from three historic fields . It is located near Ladywell railway station at the northern end of the park, and Catford Bridge at the southern end .

Visit Greenwich plaques