Prime Meridian

Greenwich mean time ( GMT / Prime Meridian), the place for time 00.00, located at Greenwich park. The park itself has stunning natural beauty. One of the most famous photo zone in london. Here there is a watch (Royal Observatory) which is unique in the world counting 24 hrs. A must visit place.

A lot of history in such a small area, from the astronomical firsts that contributed so much to our knowledge of the Sun, Planets and the Universe, then all the way through to the establishment of the Prime Meridian at Greenwich, the Royal Observatory has a rich history, which is ably represented by the exhibits in the museum.

The views from General James Wolfe's statue across the National Maritime Museum, Queen Anne's House and the Old Royal Naval College and the fabulous views of London, shouldn't be missed.

PS Don't forget to set your watch by being there at 1.00pm.

Not very accessible to someone with an infant under 1. Lots to see but very very crowded, I would not suggest going to this place during busy times. Also, while the prime meridian and the science behind it is cool, choose to do something better with your time in London. It's not a great destination.

A great museum made better by the friendly and well informed staff. We loved the thought that we were walking in the feet of so many famous astronomers.

Went to the observatory with my niece & was very interesting & surprisingly the stuff in the gift shop wasn't ridiculously priced. Some of it was but others not. Was very interesting but not interactive enough for little ones.

Prime Meridian has a fascinating history on its own, definitely worth being taken in consideration. The Greenwich Meridian is used to separate east from west in the same way that the Equator separates north from the south. In 1884 in Washington D.C. delegates gathered for an international convention to determine where the 0° of longitude should be. The majority of shipping companies at that time were already using British charts based on the British Meridian and it seemed agreeable for most of the nations represented to move towards a decision of adopting the same one as a Prime Meridian (longitude zero). The delegates recommended also the definition of a new global time zone system based on the Greenwich meridian. The alignments were checked with the help of two telescopes used together to determine the collimation (sight-line) of the Airy Transit Circle’s telescope and to ensure it is aligned correctly on the Meridian. In a separate building there is a huge telescope that defines the Prime Meridian even today. The telescope was commissioned by George Biddell Airy, seventh Astronomer Royal. History tells us that Astronomers worked in pairs on the Airy Transit Circle: one looked through the eyepiece while the other observed the microscope readings on the stone pier. The other two astronomers that worked on the meridian line were Edmond Halley and James Bradley. Halley’s Meridian line was defined by measuring the height of stars above the horizon; then their passage (or ‘transit’) was timed over the meridian mark by crosshairs in his telescope with an accurate pendulum clock. One of the most important observations was the Sun at solar noon. Bradley’s Meridian line was defined by the third Astronomer Royal who observed with improved accuracy while using the telescope. Time was measured by using distant stars ⭐️ in an attempt to be more accurate having in mind the unequal length of solar days.
It is said that Astronomers’ clocks run slightly faster than normal clocks to show sidereal (star) time.
Time has already began to play an important role with timekeeping and clocks being introduced in homes 🏡 and trades.

I stood with my right foot on the Eastern Hemisphere and with my left foot on the Western Hemisphere. This the only imaginary line which was drawn actually to explain the time theories. There are several clocks and their early mechanisms such as pendulum, spring, onshore, and offshore time keeping devices.

Beautiful place inside a large park. Located on a hill will beautiful views of London skyline. It’s a huge park with Greenery all around. Amazing Maritime museum is also there and it’s free with some interesting Maritime history. Good place to spend half a day with your family and friends. It ha s a pier as well and you can take city cruise to travel to west minister or Tower of London. It’s a amazing ride on the cruise especially during sunset.