Greenwich
Greenwich is a town in Greater London, on the River Thames and 6 miles from Central London. It is usually thought of as being part of London, but it is a very interesting town in its own right.
It is pronounced "Grennidge".
Most famously, this is the site of the internationally-accepted Greenwich Meridian, from where Greenwich Mean Time is calculated.
The Old Royal Observatory is in Greenwich Park, which affords excellent prospects of the Thames and London Docklands.
Close to the river are the Queen's House, by Inigo Jones; the Royal Naval College, by Wren and Hawksmoor; and the National Maritime Museum.
On the site previously was Greenwich Palace, originally given as a manor to Duke Humphrey of Gloucester in 1427. It became a favourite house of the Tudor dynasty, where Henry VIII, Mary I and Elizabeth I were all born. Henry also married there twice, as well as signing Anne Boleyn's death warrant.
The "Cutty Sark", last of the great 19th century tea clippers, can be seen by the river, as can "Gypsy Moth IV", in which Sir Francis Chichester sailed single handedly around the world.
This whole area, known as "Maritime Greenwich", has been a UNESCO World Heritage Centresince 1997.
In addition to all this, Greenwich is a bustling town, complete with shops, pubs, restaurants and market.
Prince Philip was given the title "Baron of Greenwich" on his marriage in 1947 to the future Queen Elizabeth II.
St. Alfege's Church is by Hawksmoor. Henry VIII was baptised at the old church on the site, and Thomas Tallis and General Wolfe were buried.
It is dedicated to the Archbishop of Canterbury who was savagely killed here by drunken Danes, who bombarded him with ox bones from their feast.
A pedestrian tunnel leads below the Thames to the Isle of Dogs.
In addition to the Royal personages, another to have been born in Greenwich was the thriller writer Edgar Wallace.
The Treaty of Greenwich of 1543 was an agreement by which Mary Queen of Scots and Edward VI, both young children at the time, were to marry. Mary's mother later repudiated it, leading to English attacks on Scotland.
Blue Badge Guide Colin Crosby is available to lead Guided Walks around Greenwich for groups.