What do you think?
Rate this book
Royal Observatory Greenwich Souvenir Guide
Souvenir guidebook to the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, UK. Includes history and a list of further readings and links to the Royal Maritime Museum website.
80 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
About the author
National Maritime Museum
98 booksThe National Maritime Museum (NMM) is a maritime museum in Greenwich, London.
The museum was created by the National Maritime Museum Act 1934.
King George VI formally opened the museum on 27 April 1937 when his daughter Princess Elizabeth accompanied him for the journey along the Thames from London.
The first director was Sir Geoffrey Callender
The museum was created by the National Maritime Museum Act 1934.
King George VI formally opened the museum on 27 April 1937 when his daughter Princess Elizabeth accompanied him for the journey along the Thames from London.
The first director was Sir Geoffrey Callender
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 16, 2026
A must-buy souvenir or advance guide book to a tour!
If you are lucky enough to travel to London, England, you MUST take in The Royal Observatory at Greenwich and the nearby National Maritime Museum. At the conclusion of your tour, you'll be offered an opportunity to purchase A Guide to the Royal Observatory Greenwich: The Story of Time and Space. Don't pass that opportunity by!
A magnificent piece of adult brain and eye candy, this colourful booklet not only serves as a wonderful souvenir of an exciting tourist attraction but would also act as a stand alone collection of short introductory stories and photographic essays on a wide variety of scientific topics relating to measurement of time and space on our planet - the historical basis for the establishment of Greenwich as the location for the prime meridian and the use of GMT as the basis for the International Time Zone System; the crucial search for longitude; the historical foundation of the observatory by King Charles II and the appointment of John Flamsteed as the first Astronomer Royal; the story of John Harrison's painstaking construction of his prize-winning chronometer; the creation of standard time and the life and work at the observatory as it exists today.
For those privileged to attend at either the Royal Observatory or the related displays in the adjacent National Maritime Museum, this book is an inexpensive memento that should not be missed. As a stand-alone read, even for those not so lucky to see the real McCoy on a trip through London, England, it represents an enjoyable half hour's reading and gawking at some thoroughly delicious photographs. If you know you're going to have a chance to see the Observatory in the future, try to get a copy of this book in advance. It will make your visit infinitely more informative and enjoyable.
Highly recommended.
Paul Weiss
If you are lucky enough to travel to London, England, you MUST take in The Royal Observatory at Greenwich and the nearby National Maritime Museum. At the conclusion of your tour, you'll be offered an opportunity to purchase A Guide to the Royal Observatory Greenwich: The Story of Time and Space. Don't pass that opportunity by!
A magnificent piece of adult brain and eye candy, this colourful booklet not only serves as a wonderful souvenir of an exciting tourist attraction but would also act as a stand alone collection of short introductory stories and photographic essays on a wide variety of scientific topics relating to measurement of time and space on our planet - the historical basis for the establishment of Greenwich as the location for the prime meridian and the use of GMT as the basis for the International Time Zone System; the crucial search for longitude; the historical foundation of the observatory by King Charles II and the appointment of John Flamsteed as the first Astronomer Royal; the story of John Harrison's painstaking construction of his prize-winning chronometer; the creation of standard time and the life and work at the observatory as it exists today.
For those privileged to attend at either the Royal Observatory or the related displays in the adjacent National Maritime Museum, this book is an inexpensive memento that should not be missed. As a stand-alone read, even for those not so lucky to see the real McCoy on a trip through London, England, it represents an enjoyable half hour's reading and gawking at some thoroughly delicious photographs. If you know you're going to have a chance to see the Observatory in the future, try to get a copy of this book in advance. It will make your visit infinitely more informative and enjoyable.
Highly recommended.
Paul Weiss
November 17, 2018
Wonderful guide. Short, to the point, and solves many doubts about how astronomers went about trying to set a fixed time. It is amazing what had to be done, and it clearly took a while to reach solutions. I was also impressed to know the meridian is constantly moving about and that the line at Greenwich is slowly approaching the real time line. I learnt a lot, and reminded me of everything I saw at the museum. It's nice to finally know what all those devices were.
May 15, 2018
Marvelous illustrations and a fascinating introduction to the history and doings of the Royal Observatory, from its beginnings, hardships and famous residents, to the meridian and commercial interest to its modern role as educational center and future generation inspiration.
November 13, 2020
Good guide on set up, uses, progress and work on time and latitude to help with the sailing interest of Great Britain.
Note on the Beagle with Darwin in 1830s they carried 32 different chronometers to help
keep track of where they were
Note on the Beagle with Darwin in 1830s they carried 32 different chronometers to help
keep track of where they were
January 4, 2024
a brief yet interesting introduction to some questions I've had for a while now.
December 23, 2012
This was another of the various ‘tourist’ books I picked up while living (and therefore travelling) around the UK. This one is obviously about Greenwich, which is the home of the prime meridian of the world (the line differentiating east from west) and the establishment of a system to measure longitude and keep time in a simple and easy fashion. It’s fairly high level, covering off a variety of topics related to the site and the understanding of time and positioning, particularly for sailing. Fascinating and provides enough information for casual interest without expecting the reader to have a lot of background knowledge.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews