Greenwich peninsula
| Greenwich Peninsula | |
|---|---|
 Greenwich Peninsula viewed from 1 Canada Square with the Millennium Dome in the centre |
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 Greenwich Peninsula
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| Greenwich Peninsula shown within Greater London | |
| OS grid reference | TQ392796 |
| London borough | |
| Ceremonial county | Greater London |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LONDON |
| Postcode district | SE10 |
| Dialling code | 020 |
| Police | Metropolitan |
| Fire | London |
| Ambulance | London |
| EU Parliament | London |
| UK Parliament | |
| London Assembly | |
| Website | http://www.greenwichpeninsula.co.uk |
Greenwich Peninsula is an area of south-east London, England, located in the Royal Borough of Greenwich.
The peninsula is bounded on three sides by a loop of the Thames, between the Isle of Dogs to the west and Silvertown to the east. To the south is the rest of Greenwich, to the south-east is Charlton.
The peninsula lies within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. Formerly known as Greenwich Marshes and as Bugsby's Marshes, it became known as East Greenwich as it developed in the 19th century, but more recently has been called North Greenwich due to the location of the North Greenwich tube station. This should not be confused with North Greenwich on the Isle of Dogs, at the north side of a former ferry from Greenwich. The peninsula's northernmost point on the riverside is known as Blackwall Point, and this may have led to the name Blackwall Peninsula sometimes being used in the late 20th century.
Landmarks include The Dome (also known by the current corporate logo The O2 and previously the Millennium Dome) and the southern end of the Blackwall Tunnel, but the area is now being substantially redeveloped with new homes, offices, schools, a college and parks.
The peninsula was drained by Dutch engineers in the 16th century, allowing it to be used as pasture land. In the 17th century, Blackwall Point (the northern tip of the peninsula, opposite Blackwall) gained notoriety as a location where pirates' corpses were hung in cages as a deterrent to other would-be pirates. In the 1690s the Board of Ordnance established a gunpowder magazine on the west side of the peninsula, which was in operation by 1695 serving as the government's primary magazine (where newly-milled powder was stored prior to being distributed, on board specially-equipped hoys, to wherever it was needed). Alongside the magazine was a wharf, a proof house and accommodation for the resident Storekeeper. From the early 18th century, however, local residents began petitioning Parliament, asking for the magazine (and its dangerous contents in particular) to be removed; this eventually led to the establishment of a new set of Royal Gunpowder Magazines downriver at Purfleet, which was opened in 1765. By 1771 gunpowder was no longer stored at Greenwich (though the buildings remained in situ for some decades afterwards).
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Wikipedia