"Greenwich Park, the oldest of the Royal Parks, has an amazing view of the Thames and is the perfect place to take a break between two tours of Greenwich attractions, with three cafes and a bandstand. a playground for children.
It currently covers a total area of 74 hectares (180 acres), part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site as the site hosts the Royal Observatory of Greenwich, starting point of the meridian Prime Meridian.
All year round, the park is open from 6 am (7 am for vehicles) until nightfall. It offers a haven for city dwellers, far from central London. One of the secrets to designing eco-friendly cities is to attract nature lovers to urban green spaces, rather than suburbs.
During the 2012 Olympic Games, he hosted the equestrian events and the modern pentathlon competitions.
The estate of some 200 acres (81 ha) was originally owned by the Abbey of St. Peter at Ghent, but reverted to the Crown in 1427 and was given by Henry VI to his uncle Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester.[4] He built a house by the river, Bella Court, and a small castle, called Greenwich Castle as well as Duke Humphrey’s Tower, on the hill. The former evolved first into the Tudor Palace of Placentia and then into the Queen's House and Greenwich Hospital. Greenwich Castle, by now in disrepair, was chosen for the site of the Royal Observatory by Charles II in 1675.
In the 15th century the park was mostly heathland and probably used for hawking. In the next century, deer were introduced by Henry VIII for hunting, and a small collection of deer is maintained today in an area to the south east. James I enclosed the park with a brick wall, twelve feet high and two miles (3 km) long at a cost of £2000, much of which remains and defines the modern boundary. A small section of the boundary wall in the southwest corner of the park was formerly part of Montagu House, one time residence of Caroline of Brunswick, demolished in 1815,[5] though Queen Caroline's bath (c. 1806) is preserved inside the park.
In the 17th century, the park was landscaped, possibly by André Le Nôtre who is known at least to have designed plans for it. The public were first allowed into the park during the 18th century. Samuel Johnson visited the park in 1763 and commented "Is it not fine?". The famous hill upon which the observatory stands was used on public holidays for mass ‘tumbling’.
In the 1830s a railway was nearly driven through the middle of the lower park on a viaduct but the scheme was defeated by intense local opposition. However, the London and Greenwich Railway was later extended beneath the ground via a cut-and-cover tunnel link between Greenwich and Maze Hill which opened in 1878 (the tunnel alignment is on the north side of the northern side of the park's boundary wall, running beneath the gardens of the National Maritime Museum and Queen's House).
In 1888 the park got a station of its own when Greenwich Park railway station was opened. The station was not successful, with most passengers preferring the older Greenwich station, and in 1917 Greenwich Park station and the associated line closed. "
Sources : Greenwich Park
" Greenwich Park, le plus ancien des parcs royaux, a une vue extraordinaire sur la Tamise. C'est l'endroit idéal pour faire une pause entre deux visites d'attractions touristiques à Greenwich. Il abrite trois cafés, un kiosque à musique et une aire de jeux pour les enfants.
Il couvre actuellement une superficie totale de 70 hectares, faisant partie du patrimoine mondial de l'UNESCO du fait que le site accueille l'Observatoire royal de Greenwich, point de départ du méridien d'origine (Prime Meridian).
Toute l'année, le parc est ouvert à partir de 6 heures (7 heures pour les véhicules) jusqu'à la tombée de la nuit. Il offre un refuge aux citadins, bien loin du centre de Londres. L'un des secrets pour concevoir des villes non nuisibles à l'environnement consiste à attirer les amoureux de la nature dans des espaces verts urbains, plutôt que dans des banlieues.
Il a accueilli, lors des Jeux olympiques de 2012, les épreuves hippiques et celles du pentathlon moderne.
Ce domaine de 74 hectares est à l'origine la propriété de l'abbaye Saint-Pierre de Gand. Il revient à la couronne en 1427. Il sert au colportage. Le roi Henri VI le donne à son oncle Humphrey de Lancastre, duc de Gloucester. Celui-ci construit une maison (Belle Court) sur la rivière, et un château sur la colline dominant le site (Duke Humphrey’s Tower). Après la disgrâce d'Humphrey, Bella Court est remanié pour devenir le palais de Placentia.
Durant le XVIe siècle, Henri VIII y introduit des cerfs pour la chasse.
Au XVIIe siècle, tandis que le palais de Placentia est détruit pour laisser la place à la Queen's House et au Greenwich Hospital, Jacques Ier fait clôturer le domaine par un mur de brique de quatre mètres de haut et de trois kilomètres de longueur, pour un coût de 2 000 livres. Cette construction constitue aujourd'hui encore la limite du parc.
L'Observatoire royal est installé sur le site par le roi Charles II en 1675. Durant la même période, le parc est aménagé selon les plans élaborés par André Le Nôtre. Au siècle suivant, Greenwich Park est ouvert au public. "
Sources : Greenwich Park