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27 September 2011

Where Time Begins

Mercy me! Where does the time go? I've been negligent in my blogging duties and haven't even posted half the things I thought of while I was at Great Dixter. Perhaps a retrospective will make its way to these hallowed screens sometime. Soon? Maybe.

And so we fast forward to the present. I am back in England studying for my MA in Garden History and what better place to be for the subject? Of all the countries in the world, England has to be the most garden-centric. With upwards of 800 gardens in England alone, I don't expect to be bored while I'm here! While the first week was filled with induction and I really should have been diving into my studies to get a head start,  instead, I decided to do a little exploring of my new surroundings.

Week 1: Greenwich

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Old Royal Naval College, Greewich
Now the site of the University of Greenwich

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Architecture!

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The Chapel

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The Painted Hall
Used as a dining room for special occasions

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Longest perennial border in the world, or so I'm told. During WW2 the Flower Garden in another part of the park was planted with anti-aircraft guns. After the war the park was restored.

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Where time begins
In the courtyard above, people are queued up waiting their turn to straddle the Prime Meridian. In doing so, half of you is in the Western Hemisphere while the other half is in the Eastern Hemisphere. Good party trick!

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Greenwich Park, site of a Roman settlement and the oldest enclosed Royal Park


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Local culture

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Local flavor!
Living and studying in London? Historically speaking, pretty darn awesome! In the coming weeks I will make it a goal to post interesting snippets about the places I visit and gardens and garden topics I study. Stay tuned for a bit on Egyptian gardens and the ancestral home of Vita Sackville-West's family, Knole.