May Fayre at the Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich
Laura Wilkinson
11 March 2008
The Green Man stilt walker returns to the Old Royal Naval College along with Maypole dancing, Tudor music and games, craft activities and the hog roast!
This year’s Fayre will also be the public launch for Discover Greenwich, the new interpretation and education centre for the ORNC and Maritime Greenwich.
Free special events suitable for all the family include:
- The Discover Greenwich theme for 2008 will see May Fayre turned in to a ‘short history’ of the Old Royal Naval College with historical re-enactors, performers and workshops depicting life at the ORNC from all phases of the site’s history from the Tudors, Greenwich Hospital, the Royal Navy right through to today. Visitors will be able to hear the latest news about the project and how they can get involved in developing this new centre.
- Maypole and Morris dancing with dance workshops for children and the Green Man stilt walker will form the traditional centrepiece to the Fayre.
- Elizabeth and Richard York will provide both Tudor and Elizabethan music, with a range of instruments including harps, bagpipes and a hurdy gurdy to intrigue visitors. Tudor games and a Wax Chandlery with wax sealing for children will give a sense of life in Tudor Greenwich.
- Costumed interpreters from the Historical Maritime Society will show people what life was like in Nelson’s Navy with the sounds of ‘being at battle’ re-enacted through canon fire and musket demonstrations. Children will have the chance to try on replica costumes and see what it was like to be a ‘one-legged’ Greenwich Pensioner!
- Storytelling for families will centre on a newly created tactile rug depicting Sir James Thornhill’s magnificent ceiling in the Painted Hall.
- May Queen and May King competition at 3pm, open to children of all ages. Children are encouraged to dress up in costumes to reflect Spring or the history of the ORNC, with prizes for all, flower crowns for the King and Queen.
Plus:
- Hog Roast and other refreshments.
- 10ft Green Man stilt walker will spread blessings of flower petals and warm greetings to visitors. The Green Man is an ancient symbol of regeneration, fertility and growth, born in the spring, reaching full maturity in autumn.
- Face painting and games.
Visitor Information
Admission: Entrance to the event is free.
Location: Old Royal Naval College, Pepys Lawn, outside the Visitor Centre, Greenwich SE10 9LW.
(The Visitor Centre is located next to the Cutty Sark and Greenwich Tourist Information Centre).
Travel:
By Docklands Light Railway – from Bank, Tower Gateway, Stratford, Beckton and Lewisham to Cutty Sark for Maritime Greenwich.
By mainline railway – from Charing Cross, Waterloo East, Cannon Street and London Bridge.
By river - from Westminster, Embankment, Tower and O2 Piers to Greenwich.
Information: 020 8269 4799
info@greenwichfoundation.org
www.oldroyalnavalcollege.org
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1. Brief Site History
The Old Royal Naval College began life as Greenwich Hospital, which was established in 1694 by Royal Charter for the relief and support of seamen and their dependants and for the improvement of navigation. Sir Christopher Wren planned the site, described as "one of the most sublime sights English architecture affords", and, during the first half of the eighteenth century, various illustrious architects, such as Hawksmoor and Vanbrugh, completed Wren's grand design.
In June 1705, the first Pensioners arrived and, by 1814, a total of 2,710 lived there. They lived on a diet of bread, beer and boiled meat and smoked their clay pipes or ‘chalks’ in the Chalk Walk, now the Skittle Alley. The Pensioners were given pocket money of 1s a week, which they supplemented by acting as caddies at Blackheath Golf Club and guides for visitors to Greenwich.
In 1869 the Hospital was closed, and in 1873 the complex of buildings became the Royal Naval College, where officers from all over the world came to train in the naval sciences. The Navy moved out in 1998 to merge with the RAF and Army at a new Joint Services Staff College in Shrivenham.
With the departure of the Royal Navy from Greenwich, responsibility for the Old Royal Naval College passed to the Greenwich Foundation. The Foundation is a registered charity established to look after, and interpret, the buildings and their grounds for the benefit of the nation. Discover Greenwich is a major development project which will see the existing Pepys Visitor Centre transformed into an engaging, interpretation and education centre for the Old Royal Naval College and the wider Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site. Work will begin autumn 2008 and is set to be completed winter 2009.
2. Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site
Maritime Greenwich was inscribed as a World Heritage Site (WHS) by UNESCO in 1997. Greenwich is recognised for its cultural heritage; the grandeur and sheer beauty of its buildings, the magnificent vistas and views across London, its royal history, its naval and sea-faring history and its scientific accomplishments.
For more information visit www.greenwichwhs.org.uk
