Greenwich Park
| Greenwich Park | |
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View of Queens House and Canary Wharf from Greenwich Park
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| Type | Public park |
| Location | Greenwich, London |
| Coordinates | 51°28′36″N 0°00′00″E / 51.47669°N 0.00013°ECoordinates: 51°28′36″N 0°00′00″E / 51.47669°N 0.00013°E |
| Area | 74 hectares (180 acres) |
| Operated by | The Royal Parks |
| Public transit access | Maze Hill station |
| Website | Official website |
Greenwich Park is a former hunting park in Greenwich and one of the largest single green spaces in south-east London. One of the Royal Parks of London, and the first to be enclosed (in 1433), it covers 74 hectares (180 acres), and is part of the Greenwich World Heritage Site. It commands fine views over the River Thames, the Isle of Dogs and the City of London. The park is open year round.
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. 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.
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Wikipedia