Telling Tales at the Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich
Laura Wilkinson
19 January 2007
The Greenwich Storytelling Company in conjunction with the Greenwich Foundation are running two, one day workshops at the Old Royal Naval College as part of National Storytelling Week 2007 on Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 February.
The workshops offer people the chance to have a go and develop storytelling skills within a fun and relaxed environment against the backdrop of Wren’s masterpiece, the Old Royal Naval College. The workshops are open to all and are suitable for beginners as well as those with some experience.
On Saturday, 3 February, the workshop will be sign interpreted by a qualified BSL interpreter. A number of pupils from Thomas Tallis School, supported by two Speech and Language Therapists, are already signed up for the workshop and other deaf or hard of hearing people are welcome to attend.
Following the workshop, participants are invited to join rehearsals throughout February and March and ultimately take part in a performance on April 22nd in Admiral’s House at the Old Royal Naval College. The theme for this performance is Stories of the ‘First Settlers’ and beyond…Jamestown 2007 in celebration of the merchants, adventurers, servants and convicts who sailed to found new colonies in North America in this the 400th anniversary year of Jamestown – the first permanent English settlement.
The workshop is £8 (£5 for concessions), for further information, details on the venue and to book a place call 07833 538143.
Issued17 January 2007
For additional details and images contact Laura Wilkinson, Marketing & Events Manager, Greenwich Foundation for the Old Royal Naval College.
020 8269 4763 / 07890 314499
lwilkinson@greenwichfoundation.org.uk
Notes to Editors
1. Listing information
Saturday 3 February & Sunday 4 February 10.00 – 16.00
Telling Tales workshop
Join the Greenwich Storytelling Company and have fun, gain confidence and develop your storytelling skills in this one day session. Following the workshop, participants are invited to join rehearsals in February and March and take part in a storytelling performance at the College on April 22.
Suitable for beginners and those with some experience.
School Room
£8 / £5 concessions – pay on the day
Workshop enquiries call 07833 538143
2. Greenwich Storytelling Company celebrates 14 years of telling stories in the borough in February 2007. The group started the New Year in a new venue- the Greenwich Playhouse -where a series of nationally acclaimed traditional storytellers will be performing on several Sundays each month. Formerly known as Storytelling in Hope, the club was based at in Eltham's Bob Hope Theatre where it has put on over 150 events involving 126 storytellers, artists and musicians. The groups weekly Storytelling Circle in St Mary’s Community Centre in Eltham has been going strong for over 10 years. In January 2007 the group was renamed Greenwich Storytelling Company reflecting the move from Eltham to its new home in the Greenwich Playhouse. For full details of storytelling events at the Playhouse and press enquiries call Tony Aylwin 07812 998954
3. National Storytelling Week (27th January to 4th February) is organised by the Society of Storytelling and is now in its 7th year. The week was established to increase public awareness of the art, practice and value of oral storytelling and in 2006 over 900 events took place across the country in museums, galleries, libraries, theatres and pubs.
4. Visitor Information for the Old Royal Naval College
Admission free: grounds open daily 8am-6pm
Mon-Sat: Painted Hall, Chapel & Visitor Centre 10am-5pm
Sun: Painted Hall & Visitor Centre 10am-5pm; Chapel 12.30-5pm
For more information please visit www.oldroyalnavalcollege.org
Pre-booked guided tours of the Nelson Room, Painted Hall & Visitor Centre: Adults £4, children (accompanied by an adult) free.
5. 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.
