Greenwich

Filled with clocks, telescopes, sextants and other instruments of old methods of navigation, the Greenwich Royal Observatory has been the headquarters of astrology, time and navigation for centuries. Situated directly over the Prime Meridian, which is artificially extended in laser form across the Thames River at night, the Observatory became the center of at-sea navigation in the 17^th and 18^th centuries for England and for much of the world. Here conferences have been held for hundreds of years in which decisions about daylight-savings, star charts and time keeping, have been made. Realistically, the conclusions that scientists have come to in Greenwich affect our day to day lives immensely and anytime there seems to be a time restraint on anything, Greenwich holds much of the responsibility.

The Royal Observatory was established by King Charles II in 1675 for the specific purpose of “rectifying the tables of the motions of the heavens, and the places of the fixed stars, so as to find out the so-much-desired longitude of places for the perfecting art of navigation” (Jones 349). Prior to the establishment of an intensive research and discovery program at Greenwich, measurements of longitude did not exist and sailors and travelers were left to find their way using only latitudinal coordinates. Also at this time, the most accurate star catalogue available included only one thousand stars, of which only seven hundred and seventy seven had been properly and extensively observed. The best tables to giving the position of the moon were liable to errors as great as twenty degrees (Jones 349-350). All of this would rapidly change with the patronage of King Charles II and the increased focus on discovering effective means of navigation and coordination headed at the Greenwich Royal Observatory.

On March 4, 1675, John Flamsteed was appointed astronomical observer at the newly-erected Observatory at Greenwich. At this time, navigation was based on lunar tables and stellar charts which were known to be subject to enormous errors and inefficiency (Chescinsky 309). Flamsteed’s job was to find better means of navigation to prevent so many losses at sea. His position carried a salary of one hundred pounds per year and a small home but the government provided no instrumentation. Though the position was seemingly poor, great discoveries would come from it. Stars would be charted, old methods of navigation abandoned and time telling anchored.

Flamsteed owed his appointment to the patrons of the Observatory: Sir Jonas Moore, St. Piere, Sir Christopher Wren, who was also the chief architect and built the impressive Octagon Room, and King Charles II. From these men Flamsteed was endowed with three clocks, a quadrant and two telescopes, all of which are still visible in the Observatory which has been converted into a museum (Chescinsky 309). From this time forward many important decisions have been made concerning time and navigation. For example, the concept of daylight savings time was conceived by Englishman William Willett in 1905 during one of his pre-breakfast horse rides. He observed, to his dismay, that because of the time, many Londoners slept through what he considered to be the best part of a summer day. Eventually, after tirelessly lobbying his entire life for the passage of Daylight Savings Time, Winston Churchill, in coordination with members of the Royal Observatory, made Willett’s dream a law (Rooney).

All of these great accomplishments are truly only part of what Greenwich has to offer. Also making their home in Greenwich are Sir Christopher Wren’s domed masterpiece, the Old Royal Naval College, the Queen’s House overlooking the Thames and the Greenwich foot tunnel which passes underneath the Thames. An often overlooked headquarters of scientific discovery in navigation, astrology and time keeping, Greenwich has a deep and complex history that is definitely worth a visit.

Works Cited

Cescinsky, Herbert. "Flamsteed's Clocks from Greenwich Observatory." The Burlington Magazine for Connoisseurs 51.297 (1927): 309-11.

Jones, Harold Spencer. "The Royal Greenwich Observatory." Proceedings of the Royal Society of London.Series B, Biological Sciences 136.884 (1949): 349-77.

Rooney, David. Royal Observatory Commemorates William Willett. Petts Wood & District Residents' Association. Retrieved on 2008-06-04.