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London Olympics Information » Venues » Greenwich Park » About Greenwich Park
About Greenwich Park
Official site
http://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/greenwich_park/
Capacity: 23,000
Location: SE10
Status
Greenwich Park is one of London's major parks and will host a of events during the Olympics. It will return to normal use after the Olympics.
About Greenwich Park
The Greenwich Park, one of the more peaceful of the Royal Parks, spread over 19 hectares (47 acres) is home to a wide variety of fauna and flora. It also serves as a sanctuary for flower gardens and a deer park. This largest enclosed space in London features amongst the list of places included in the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site. Topographically the park is divided into two levels. A stretch of land at the lower level which lies to the north continues to rise steeply to the south. The southern part of Greenwich Park offers a magnificent panoramic view of Greenwich and across the River Thames to Canary Wharf, The O2 (formerly Millennium Dome) and Central London. Bordering the park are the Constitution Hill, Piccadilly and the Queen's Walk. Greenwich Park has several historic buildings nearby which include the Old Royal Observatory, the Royal Naval College, the National Maritime Museum and the Queen's House.
Since historical times Greenwich Park was strategically important, as a part of it is atop a hill overlooking the river Thames on the eastern approach to London. In the early part of the 11th century, the Danes occupied Greenwich several times and raised a protective earthen embankment which is now the Greenwich Park. The area became a large manor after the Norman Conquest in 1066.
Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, the fourth son of King Henry the 4th of England, inherited the land in 1427 and built a palace which he named as the Bella Court. The Duke unknowingly also laid the foundation for Greenwich Observatory, when he built a tower on the premise and constructed an enclosure to the park in 1433. Margaret of Anjou, the wife of King Henry VI, got Humphrey arrested on charges of treason and seized the estate which then came to be known as the Manor of Plesaunce or Placentia.
Henry VIII was born in Greenwich Palace, or the Palace of Placentia, and so also were his two daughters Mary I and Elizabeth I. James I later gifted the Greenwich Palace to his wife Queen Anne to bring an interest into her life after her son, Prince Henry's untimely death. She built the Queen's House by commissioning the Inigo Jones, whose works were influenced by the renaissance architecture.
King Charles II can be credited for the most of what stands today as the Greenwich Palace, as it was he who demolished the old structure and commissioned a new palace to be built in place of the old remains. He also gave a formal design to the park which was based on the plan by the French landscape architect, André Le Notre. Grass terraces were cut in succession to form a slope. These were known as the Great Steps and were lined with hawthorn bushes. Although the terraces are difficult to make out, one can still see the evidence of hawthorn. As per the plan a broad roadway was laid down lined with chestnut trees, which is now called the Blackheath Avenue. Chestnut trees were planted in a large semicircle inside Blackheath Gate, which were known as The Rounds. Small woodland called The Wilderness and Ranger's Field was also created by planting more chestnut trees, some of which survive even to this day. Scientifically inclined, Charles the 2nd approved the formation of The Royal Society in 1661. Sir Christopher Wren, one of the founding members of The Royal Society designed the original section of The Royal Observatory which is now a part of the National Maritime Museum. The park bore the brunt of World War II as anti-aircraft guns were installed in the Flower Garden, and the tips of some trees were cut off to broaden the field of fire.
One can enjoy a wide range of sporting activities at the Greenwich Park including cricket, tennis and rugby. Cycling is permitted on dedicated cycle paths, and jogging, walking and running are allowed on the grass areas. There are two rugby pitches in the south end of the park near the Blackheath Gate, whilst Rangers' Field offers facilities for playing cricket which are available in the form of a synthetic wicket and a hireable pavilion. Greenwich Tennis Centre has 6 hard-court pitches for tennis which are presently available from April to September.
Another attraction is the film shootings which take place in and around the Greenwich Park, and the visitors can catch a glimpse of their favourite stars. Hollywood and British stars Harrison Ford, Pierce Brosnan, Hugh Grant, Angelina Jolie, and Kate Winslet have all shot scenes here. The French favourite Gerard Depardieu, too, has enacted a scene here for a film called The Secret Agent (1996).
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