Mostly made up of the sprawling Greenwich Park, the area contains some of London’s best-known tourist attractions, including The Royal Observatory, Prime meridian, as well as the magnificent park itself. To the west of the park there are mainly quaint, leafy, residential streets, made up of a mish-mash of Georgian, Victorian, and Edwardian houses, and a number of post-war buildings. The main roads of Greenwich High Street and Greenwich South Street both provide residents and tourists with all the amenities they could wish for. Filled with boutiques, cafes, Markets, restaurants and evening entertainment spots, these streets are becoming more and more fashionable. Greenwich National Rail and DLR stations, located in Zone 2, provide transport throughout the city, and the bus routes that traverse the area mean this neighbourhood is incredibly well connected, despite sometimes feeling like it is a long way away from the busy city centre.

The original 200-acre estate was owned by the Abbey of St Peter at Ghent, but reverted to the crown under Henry VI in 1427, and was used as hunting grounds for centuries as the first enclosed park in London. In the 16th century, Henry VIII introduced deer to the park for hunting, and a small enclave of this still exists in the south eastern section. The original Greenwich Castle by the 17th century was in a state of disrepair, so was chosen to be redeveloped into the Royal Observatory in 1675 by Charles II; the hill became a site for the novel public holiday tradition of mass tumbling! There were almost plans for a railway to be built straight through the middle of the park on a purpose-built viaduct proposed in 1830, but local opposition forced the plans to be withdrawn. The area around Greenwich Park had to wait until 1888 before it received its own station; however, this was short lived, as the public preferred nearby Greenwich Station, and the park’s station was closed in 1917.

Generally untouched by the Blitz (although anti-aircraft guns were positioned in the flower gardens!), the area remains relatively similar to how it did throughout the 20th century, and, more recently, due to its designation as a World Heritage Site, many of the older buildings have been restored back to their original glory.

Poetry fans amongst you will be interested to know that Poet Laureate from 1968 to 1972, Cecil Day-Lewis, lived at 6 Crooms Hill, a beautiful Georgian town house, from 1957 until his death in 1972. He was chairman of the Arts Council Literature Panel, vice-president of the Royal Society of Literature, as well as a lecturer at Cambridge University, and to top it all off, father of the multiple Oscar-winning actor, Daniel Day-Lewis! Another notable resident was Benjamin Waugh (1839-1908), founder of the NSPCC (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children), who also lived on Crooms Hill. While the blue plaque commemorating him is at number 26, the GLC accidentally erected the plaque on the wrong building – he actually lived at number 62!

Some say that time begins at Greenwich, as The Royal Observatory is home to Greenwich Mean Time, or GMT, which is the yearly average of the time each day when the sun crosses the Prime Meridian. It has been used as the international standard for civil time from 1884 until 1972. The time calculated at the Royal Observatory is essentially the official clock time across the world! Greenwich Park also has its place as somewhere of sporting significance, as it was the venue for many of the equestrian events during the London 2012 Olympics, which couldn’t take place in the smaller Horse Guard’s Parade. Speaking of the Park, during the 1660s Charles II commissioned Louis XIV’s gardener to redesign the layout of Greenwich Park in the more fashionable French style. As part of this landscaping, Le Notre, as the gardener was known, planted impressive avenues of sweet chestnut trees. Many of these ‘veteran’ trees remain today, some of which clock in at over 400 years old!

Given that much of the area is located within a World Heritage Site, and that its unique combination of views, connectivity, and green space is second to none, it should come as no surprise that much of this area is sought after and therefore generally quite expensive. However, the neighbourhood also stretches towards the more affordable area of Deptford, which acts as a more diverse and creative enclave, within walking distance of Greenwich Park.

The World Heritage designation of Maritime Greenwich means that new housing developments are few and far between; however, there is a huge impetus for the conservation of the area and its historical gems. One such project is Greenwich Park Revealed, which is a multi-million-pound scheme to help unearth the park’s fascinating history, and to improve the current amenities such as food and drink facilities. The scheme will also involve furthering research to protect heritage trees and gardens from new pests which have arisen more recently. The project will also be thinking more about the future of the park with regards to improved educational facilities and accessibility for all parts of society, as well as better sustainability and visitor services. There is also one residential development project in the works on the residential streets to the west of the park. KALMAR developers are behind six new build 2 and 3 bedroom townhouses on the corner of Hyde Vale and Royal Hill.