Post-Games Greenwich is better than ever before

Activities

Attractions

Published on Monday, 04 March 2013 09:00

Last Updated on 04 March 2013

Monica Costa

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2012 was a big year for Greenwich but 2013 is set to be the year to visit this iconic destination. A rush of new openings and intriguing events across the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site in 2013 will make visiting an even more exciting experience than it is already.

A new permanent gallery opens at the National Maritime Museum in October 2013. Nelson, Navy, Nation looks at how the Royal Navy shaped individual lives and the course of British history over the eighteenth century – a period when sea-faring heroes were national celebrities. The National Maritime Museum will also host two major exhibitions in 2013. The first, Visions of the Universe, tells the story of astronomical imaging – from the earliest drawings done by hand to the latest pictures from Hubble and the Mars Curiosity Rover (June – September 2013). This is followed by Turner & the Sea, the first full-scale examination of Turner’s lifelong fascination with the sea, including iconic works spanning the artist’s whole career gathered together from across the world (November 2013-April 2014).

At the Royal Observatory Greenwich, home of the Prime Meridian, from March – August 2013, a new exhibition Alien Revolution will explore the development of our thinking about aliens in science and culture, from the earliest ideas inspired by the Copernican Revolution to the detection of alien worlds orbiting other stars. The Royal Observatory’s ‘Alien Season’ will include planetarium shows, public talks, special events, workshops, courses and cult classic sci-fi movie screenings. The popular Astronomy Photographer of the Year returns in 2013 to celebrate the very best in astrophotography from around the world.

The fabulous Cutty Sark and the National Maritime Museum will be celebrating Chinese New Year throughout February with some special family events that celebrate the cultural connections between Britain and China. On 23 February, families can learn how the sea trade brought new ideas, culture, language and people from Asia to Britain in a day of music, workshops, tea tasting and performances at Cutty Sark and the National Maritime Museum.

Cutty Sark re-opened in April 2012 and has been raised to give glorious views of her copper hull from below and across London from above. We encourage those who have not yet seen her to come along.

The Painted Hall at The Old Royal Naval College is currently undergoing its first conservation in over 50 years. Visitors can get up close and personal to the west wall during this time on a range of free scaffolding tours, which explore the stories of Greenwich’s Royal and Maritime past as well as introducing the techniques used in the conservation of historical masterpieces such as Sir James Thornhill’s astonishing Baroque paintings.

The Old Royal Naval College has also introduced film location themed group tours enabling visitors to see where scenes in movies as diverse as Four Weddings and a Funeral, The Pirates of the Caribbean, The Iron Lady, Skyfall and Les Misérables were shot.

The Fan Museum is hosting a new exhibition, The Fan in Europe: 1800-1850 between 22 January and 12 May. Drawing from the museum’s renowned collection of fans and fan leaves, this exciting new exhibition offers fascinating insights into a relatively overlooked period within the history of fans. What’s more, if you visit on Tuesdays or Sundays you can enjoy London’s ‘Best Value Afternoon Tea’ (Daily Telegraph, 2012) in the Orangery.

Up at The O2 is a major new attraction where visitors can enjoy an exhilarating outdoor challenge and get a completely new perspective on the capital as they are led on a guided expedition across the roof of The O2. The 90 minute experience takes visitors across a tensile fabric walkway suspended 52m above ground level allowing them to see spectacular 360? views of the capital.

The British Music Experience is also part of The O2’s offer for visitors to Greenwich Peninsula. The rolling programme of talks, tours and exhibitions are designed to complement the temporary and ongoing activities of the museum and to deepen the musical experience for each music fan.

Time spent sightseeing can be complimented with one of the many eating and drinking venues in Greenwich. From a variety of global food offering market stalls, to Italian pizza baked in an authentic stone pizza oven, and plenty of cosy cafes, there is something to suit every taste. Visitors can also pick up some gifts or do some shopping amongst the designer-maker stalls in Greenwich Market, or visit one of the other independent retailers that Greenwich town centre boasts, to take home something truly unique. On Saturday 30 March 2013 there will be a Chocolate Egg decorating event in the Market, but don’t worry if you can’t make it – May is Craft & Design month in the market with plenty of events going on.

For more information on Greenwich go to www.visitgreenwich.org.uk