The Gypsy Moth
The GYPSY MOTH
Sadly the real Gypsy Moth (The Gypsy Moth IV to be exact) was looked after so badly while it resided next door to the Cutty Sark that it had to be carted away to be restored before it fell to pieces completely. A great shame, since Queen Elizabeth II had knighted its skipper, Sir Francis Chichester, in Greenwich after his record-breaking sail around the world in 1966/7 with the same sword with which Queen Elizabeth I had knighted Sir Francis Drake some 400 years earlier. But hey. We obviously can't be trusted to look after our toys and it has been taken away from us. Maybe that will be a lesson to us to keep supporting the Cutty Sark restoration before we lose that too.
By the way, I recently met the guy who bought the Gypsy Moth IV, and was relieved to hear that its days of decline are over. Paul Lister, heir to the MFI fortune, bought her for a pound and a gin and tonic in the way that eccentrics toffs do and restored her completely. He formed a charity to help kids learn to sail and now she is once again sailing the seven seas, this time with a somewhat younger crew. His new project is to reintroduce bears and wolves to the Scottish Highlands. Hurrah for eccentric toffs...
In Greenwich, meanwhile, The Gypsy Moth is remembered in the name of the pub nearest her old mooring. Because of its proximity to all the tourist sites this noisy pub gets very full indeed in the summer months despite - or perhaps because of - a boisterous beer garden at the back. Not the place to go for a cosy chat - but great fun if you're with a bunch of mates out for a drink and a laugh in a good atmosphere. It serves food too - but to be honest I've never tried it. I hear it's bog-standard pub fare.
I was sad to see the death of the coins, medals and memorabilia shop next door. This seemed to have been there for ever, its display of military helmets, old toy cars and dusty medal ribbons quietly sitting in this unassuming little store. To my shame I never went inside - it was just always there - something to go in and browse next time. Clearly I wasn't alone in this - one day I walked past and realised it was gone. I felt an almost palpable sadness - and a slight pang of guilt. If we don't visit these quaint little shops and patronise them with more than a nod and a smile, then we'll lose them and our town centre will end up some kind of theme park - like Covent Garden and Carnaby Street have become - the little quirky stores which made them great forced out by chain stores wanting a piece of the action, leaving them mere caricatures of the places they once were.
The Art Deco shop Decomania, recently suffered the same fate. Frankly I never went in because I was intimidated by the swankiness of it all - I couldn't have afforded a single item - but I mourn its passing all the same. I must make a mental note to visit these one-offs on a regular basis...
Sadly the real Gypsy Moth (The Gypsy Moth IV to be exact) was looked after so badly while it resided next door to the Cutty Sark that it had to be carted away to be restored before it fell to pieces completely. A great shame, since Queen Elizabeth II had knighted its skipper, Sir Francis Chichester, in Greenwich after his record-breaking sail around the world in 1966/7 with the same sword with which Queen Elizabeth I had knighted Sir Francis Drake some 400 years earlier. But hey. We obviously can't be trusted to look after our toys and it has been taken away from us. Maybe that will be a lesson to us to keep supporting the Cutty Sark restoration before we lose that too.
By the way, I recently met the guy who bought the Gypsy Moth IV, and was relieved to hear that its days of decline are over. Paul Lister, heir to the MFI fortune, bought her for a pound and a gin and tonic in the way that eccentrics toffs do and restored her completely. He formed a charity to help kids learn to sail and now she is once again sailing the seven seas, this time with a somewhat younger crew. His new project is to reintroduce bears and wolves to the Scottish Highlands. Hurrah for eccentric toffs...
In Greenwich, meanwhile, The Gypsy Moth is remembered in the name of the pub nearest her old mooring. Because of its proximity to all the tourist sites this noisy pub gets very full indeed in the summer months despite - or perhaps because of - a boisterous beer garden at the back. Not the place to go for a cosy chat - but great fun if you're with a bunch of mates out for a drink and a laugh in a good atmosphere. It serves food too - but to be honest I've never tried it. I hear it's bog-standard pub fare.
I was sad to see the death of the coins, medals and memorabilia shop next door. This seemed to have been there for ever, its display of military helmets, old toy cars and dusty medal ribbons quietly sitting in this unassuming little store. To my shame I never went inside - it was just always there - something to go in and browse next time. Clearly I wasn't alone in this - one day I walked past and realised it was gone. I felt an almost palpable sadness - and a slight pang of guilt. If we don't visit these quaint little shops and patronise them with more than a nod and a smile, then we'll lose them and our town centre will end up some kind of theme park - like Covent Garden and Carnaby Street have become - the little quirky stores which made them great forced out by chain stores wanting a piece of the action, leaving them mere caricatures of the places they once were.
The Art Deco shop Decomania, recently suffered the same fate. Frankly I never went in because I was intimidated by the swankiness of it all - I couldn't have afforded a single item - but I mourn its passing all the same. I must make a mental note to visit these one-offs on a regular basis...
Labels: Drinking, Eating Out
posted by The Greenwich Phantom at
14:53
3 Comments:
My fav pub at the moment, Bar staff are lovely (Albeit rather slow but worth the wait) beer and wine and food is good, seats nice - just love the atmosphere!!
Just a quick clarification - the old odds and sods shop was not exactly next door to the Gipsy Moth (sic) pub, it was where StarBucks is now. There is, and has been for nearly 300 years (I believe), a residence in between the building that has become the pub and the building that now houses Starbucks - I know this much as I live there. A further bit of trivia - the family that ran the coin + memorabilia shop also run Notions Antiquaria, a similar place for maps and documents in Cecil Court, Charing Cross Road right in town near Leicester Square. The woman running that shop, (Tracey, I think), told me this. She's a fabulously eccentric and charming lady who has lots of old Greenwich stories. Oh, one more thing - The house I live in actually belongs to the guitarist for the Hollies, that folk/rock band from the 60s and 70s.
Of course - thanks J>B. You know you should be relieved that it slipped nmy mind - presumably lots of other tourists manage to blot it out of their consciousnesses giving you a bit of privacy. What a great place to live. Do you ever get dusturbed by the folks at the Gipsy Moth?
I may just have to pay a visit to the Charing Cross shop.
The Hollies, eh? Did he ever live there? You do realise I'm going to be humming "The Air That I Breathe" all day now...
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