All Things Maritime
Part of London’s importance derived from its place on the River Thames, which was wider enough to be a major port, especially in the east of the city in the area still known as the Docklands.The Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich trained officers, and British sailors used the time at Greenwich (Greenwich Mean Time) to calculate local time around the world, which is how modern time zones were invented. Those with an interest in the sea, sailing, and the global history of Britain, should definitely check out some of these maritime attractions.The HMS Belfast is a floating museum ship that lets visitors see what it was like to serve on a Royal Navy ship during World War II and the Korean War. Its exciting and authentic interior makes it a great day out for kids and adults alike. Meanwhile, head to Greenwich to visit the Cutty Sark, the fastest tea clipper in the world. She sailed from 1869 until 1954 when she was first brought to Greenwich, where she was fully restored in 2012. While you’re in Greenwich you might want to drop into the Royal Maritime Museum, the largest maritime museum in the world or the Royal Observatory to stand on the Prime Meridian, the line that divides east from west.