Spring Fayre at Greenwich
Laura Wilkinson
20 April 2007
Maypole, Punch & Judy, 10ft Green Man, music and hog roast!
The Greenwich Foundation for the Old Royal Naval College (ORNC) will celebrate the beginning of spring on the May Bank Holiday Monday, 7 May, with a lively day filled with free special events suitable for all the family.
All children are invited to dress up in May themed fancy dress and enter the May Queen and May King competition. The winners will be crowned at 3pm and with prizes for all.
• The tradition of Maypole and Morris dancing will form the centrepiece to the Fayre with dance workshops for children.
• The ‘Professor’ of Punch & Judy, John Styles, will be on hand to amuse and entertain the crowds.
• 10ft Green Man stilt walker will spread blessings of flower petals and warm greetings to visitors. The Green Man is an ancient symbol of regeneration, fertility and growth, born in the spring and reaching full maturity in autumn, along with the fruits of the harvest.
• Elizabeth and Richard York will provide both Tudor and Elizabethan music, with a range of instruments including harps, bagpipes and a hurdy gurdy to intrigue visitors.
Plus…
• Tile-painting workshop for all the family.
• Hog Roast and other refreshments.
• Traditional market stalls.
• Face painting, henna tattoos, old fashioned fairground rides, coconut shy, tombola and games.
Visitor Information
Admission: Entrance to the event is free.
Location: Old Royal Naval College, Pepys Lawn, outside the Visitor Centre, Greenwich SE10 9LW. (The Visitor Centre is located next to the Cutty Sark and Greenwich Tourist Information Centre).
Travel: By Docklands Light Railway – from Bank, Tower Gateway, Stratford, Beckton and Lewisham to Cutty Sark for Maritime Greenwich.
By mainline railway – from Charing Cross, Waterloo East, Cannon Street and London Bridge.
By river - from Westminster, Embankment and Tower Piers to Greenwich.
Information: 020 8269 4799
info@greenwichfoundation.org
www.oldroyalnavalcollege.org
For further information or images please contact Laura Wilkinson on 020 8269 4763 / 07890 314499.
lwilkinson@greenwichfoundation.org.uk
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1. Brief Site History
The Old Royal Naval College began life as Greenwich Hospital, which was established in 1694 by Royal Charter for the relief and support of seamen and their dependants and for the improvement of navigation. Sir Christopher Wren planned the site, described as "one of the most sublime sights English architecture affords", and, during the first half of the eighteenth century, various illustrious architects, such as Hawksmoor and Vanbrugh, completed Wren's grand design.
In June 1705, the first Pensioners arrived and, by 1814, a total of 2,710 lived there. They lived on a diet of bread, beer and boiled meat and smoked their clay pipes or ‘chalks’ in the Chalk Walk, now the Skittle Alley. The Pensioners were given pocket money of 1s a week, which they supplemented by acting as caddies at Blackheath Golf Club and guides for visitors to Greenwich.
In 1869 the Hospital was closed, and in 1873 the complex of buildings became the Royal Naval College, where officers from all over the world came to train in the naval sciences. The Navy moved out in 1998 to merge with the RAF and Army at a new Joint Services Staff College in Shrivenham.
With the departure of the Royal Navy from Greenwich, responsibility for the Old Royal Naval College passed to the Greenwich Foundation. The Foundation is a registered charity established to look after, and interpret, the buildings and their grounds for the benefit of the nation.
2. Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site
Maritime Greenwich was inscribed as a World Heritage Site (WHS) by UNESCO in 1997 and hence 2007 marks the 10th anniversary of the WHS. Greenwich is recognised for its cultural heritage; the grandeur and sheer beauty of its buildings, the magnificent vistas and views across London, its royal history, its naval and sea-faring history and its scientific accomplishments. In this the anniversary year partners across the site are celebrating 10 years with a number of events which include classical concerts at the Old Royal Naval College, architecture-based workshops, film screenings, new trails and more…for further information visit www.
For more information visit www.greenwichwhs.org.uk
