Greenwich Park
Royal park on a hilltop above the Thames, home to the Prime Meridian, Royal Observatory, and sweeping London views.
Location
About this audio guide
This guide to Greenwich Park in London starts with the Royal Observatory, built in 1675 on the orders of Charles II to solve a problem that was killing sailors: finding longitude at sea. It follows John Flamsteed's decades of charting the sky and clockmaker John Harrison's race to build a chronometer accurate enough for a rolling ship. You'll also hear how Astronomer Royal John Pond found a simpler fix in 1833, rigging a red ball above the observatory to signal the exact time to ships on the Thames. Look up at the mast as you climb the hill; the ball still drops at one o'clock.
This audio guide was created using AI.
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