I didn’t know that this was on yesterday – must be seriously losing my touch. But both Stephen and Mike attended the Aston Martin Owners’ Club Concours d’Etat yesterday (don’t you just love that it’s called that? Reliant Robin owners are just as keen but they call their shindigs plain old ‘rallies’) and I at least have photos to share…

I love this 1959 DB3 but by all accounts there was much to choose from. Stephen reckons there must have been about 250 Astons there, sadly I wasn’t so I don’t know.

I am, like Stephen, particulaly taken with the toolkit for the DB3 – which includes a rather alarming hammer – for loosening the wheel nuts, aparently, rather than for duffing up henchmen.

It appears to have been used rather a lot.

Stephen’s favourite – and I suspect mine, too – is this fabulous 1948 Lagonda coupe:

If you, like myself, are fed up you missed it, here’s Mike’s video of the event…

I’ve been very bad about the Parish News recently – I have stuff to tell you but not the time to do it. Hopefully I’ll get round to it soon, but in the meanwhile I need to mention three not-terribly-old but very traditional things that are happening this weekend.

Firstly Wassail at the East Greenwich Pleasaunce. If you’ve been following the new fruit trees in the park, planted by the Friends, you may already know about it, but if you don’t mind a bit of (very light) work it’s open to all.

Wassailing traditionally involves hailing fruit trees – waking them up ready for the new season and scaring away evil spirits, and this seems to be a lovely way of welcoming the trees properly. I’m not sure they’re having a Wassail King and Queen but there’s plenty else going on. They’re mulching the trees with woodchip at 11.30am on Sunday  6th Jan, then from midday, it’s more fun – music, stories, poems and locally-pressed cider from Orchard Press in Charlton.  If cider’s not your bag, then Lizzie at Pistacchios cafe will be doing all the usual hot drinks and food, plus mulled wine.

Of course Twelfth Night is actually the evening of the 5th of January (I think it has something to do with the day starting at dawn in the medieval calendar) but the Lion’s Part will be at Bankside as usual for the Twelfth Night Celebrations at the Globe from 2.45pm. If that doesn’t sound very ‘Greenwich,’ then my tenuous link to it is Fowler’s Molly, local Morris dancers who will be dancing at the George Inn when the event reaches there – probably about 3.30pm. If you’ve not experienced it, it’s well worth wrapping up and going along. I’m a big fan of the storytelling in the George afterwards.

If making it all the way into London Bridge just seems that little bit too much like hard work, Fowlers Molly will be celebrating Plough Monday much more locally, starting at the Ashburnham Arms, Ashburnham Place, meeting from 7.30pm to dance at around 8pm, moving on to the Morden Arms (while it’s still around, though I understand planning permission for flats there has now been refused) to dance around 8.45pm. They finish at the Tolly (Richard I), Royal Hill dancing around 9.30pm.

This would normally go in the Parish News but I understand tickets will be snapped up rather fast.

If you enjoy the BBC’s Stargazing Live you’re in luck. It’s back in the New Year and Greenwich is hosting a stellar event that means that you can get into the park AFTER DARK!!

It’s designed to encourage everyone – from the complete beginner to the enthusiastic amateur – to make the most of the night sky.

It’s on Thursday 10th January 2013 from 6pm-9.30pm at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. and there will be Planetarium shows throughout the evening up the hill in the Royal Observatory too.

It’s going to include thing for all levels of experience and all ages, including planetarium shows, live stargazing, telescope surgeries and astrophotography workshops from the Flamsteed Astronomy Society as well as Mission X activities from the NASA and UK Space Agency programme. Royal Observatory astronomers will be on hand to answer questions and perform space demos including meteorite handling; and there’s the opportunity to learn about the Mars Curiosity landing from a panel of Open University and UCL experts.

For opera lovers, there’s a sneak preview of Laika the Spacedog, English Touring Opera’s new space opera, step through a Lego universe, and have preflight health checks by the Classroom Medics plus the traditional ‘lots more.’

Entry is free but this is a ticketed event. Tickets will be available from TODAY Friday, November 30th at 6pm until midnight on Tuesday 11th December from the BBC Shows and Tours website. Tickets will be allocated by random draw.

An Exlusive Insight into 100 Architecturally Inspiring Buildings in London 

Victoria Thornton,  Ebury Publishing, £25

We’re nearly at that time of year again, folks. The time where we can poke into places we’re not normally allowed near, see inside buildings that we’ve only seen the outside of and see some incredible architecture, old and new, up close, for one weekend only. I have a love-hate relationship with it – however hard I plan I always end up turning up on the wrong day being late or being the one after the last person in the queue is let in (happened with Linley Sambourne House last year – I queued for a good forty minutes, then the person in front of me got in and I didn’t. To add insult to injury she turned and smirked at me. Bah…)

We’ve talked about Open House weekend so many times – had long discussions about things in Greenwich we’d like to see opened and even tried the odd campaign to see that happen.

Greenwich is pretty poorly served for openings – just two pages in the catalogue and many of them are places that would be open anyway. Not that I’m knocking anywhere that chooses to open their doors for this incredible event – a heartfelt thank you to all of them. I’ll do my pick of the openings at the end of today’s post. But there are places I would love to persuade to open their doors too.

One I keep meaning to contact is Our Lady Star of the Sea on Crooms Hill – a church I understand has Pugin interiors. Yes. I’ll put that on my list for pestering next year. You can see the lovely White Dog of Crooms HIll at the same time if you’re lucky. She’ll be feeling lonely now the paths are open again in the park…

I did try to get the roof of the Observatory opened a few years ago – they said they’d think about it, and that’s the last I heard of it, hint, hint.

Forget the Observation Tower at Greenwich Borough Hall. Several Phantomites have had upleasant encounters with the letting agency who have no intention of allowing anyone at all up there, ever. Why Greenwich Council ever gave that up I still don’t know. It’s an observation tower, built for the people,  from which only the pigeons have a view.

I’ve lost count of the number of different places I’ve written to to try to get power station tours – never with any luck at all – it seems such a missed opportunity for a place that most people think is closed down (I get a lot of emails from people suggesting this derelict hulk be turned into an art gallery/peformance space/shopping mall)  to become part of the community but I’ve had virtually no repsonse.

The closest I got to an answer was mutterings of ‘security issues’ – but I don’t buy that. There are much higher profile buildings (including strategic-industrial) quite happy to do tours. My problem is that I’ve never been able to pin down the guy (or gal) who could actually make a decision and I’m passed around jobsworths who don’t want to stick their necks out.  Maybe next year we could have a concerted effort together – anyone know the exact person we need to talk to?

My final wishlist ‘want’ is the fabulous Rotunda -Nash-designed, incredible history, odd construction methods – and absolutely locked up.

But that’s enough of what we can’t see. Before I go onto what we can, I really want to talk about the book that’s come out celebrating the event. It’s not cheap, but it is beautiful, and one of those books that you’d want as a physical presence, rather than on your Kindle.

A hardcover, full-colour exploration of the kind of buildings open across London, it features heavily the modern, achitect-led constructions rather than the historic ones I tend to graduate towards. The great thing about this is that, flicking through, I find myself fascinated by them – my eye doesn’t really catch listings in the brochure about modern buildings, but seeing a photo of a particularly odd/innovative design makes me want to read the write-up and the write-up makes me want to see the real thing. Often the sculptures inside very large, airy atriums pull me in more than the buildings themselves.

Obviously other people’s homes are particularly nose-worthy and the ones in this book are, for the most part sleek, smooth and design marvels, especially the ones created in teeny spaces, using innovative technology. But how on earth would you live in such places? Don’t these people have clutter? I note that at least one place has children living in it. HOW? Where are the books? The toys? The papers? The mess? The crayons? Those poor kids…

There’s only one actual Greenwich place in the book  - if you’ve never been to Greenwich Yacht Club, it’s worth a sneak around there, and reading the background to it and the GMV, but there are close things – such as the extraordinary cathedral of sewage, Crossness (never been? Go!) and the very wonderful Trinity Buoy Wharf – so near, and once, so far – now a little easier to visit thanks to the cable car. It’s also worth checking out Marlborough House in Pall Mall to see the loot from the greatest act of Royal vandalism Greenwich has known. Both are discussed in the book.

So -onto my Greenwich recommendations for the 22/23 September this year:

Blackheath House – I don’t know this, but I think I read it’s recently been listed. I may be wrong.

Charlton House – owned by the council and thus pretty empty, but the panelling, fireplaces, ceilings etc remain and are majestic.

Devonport Mausoleum – you can get pretty close to this anyway these days but I’m hoping to be allowed inside the fencing.

Dreadnought Library – I’ve never seen this – I always seem to turn up on the wrong day – but it’s apparently a good example of new within old.

Eltham Lodge – make sure you’re in plenty of time for this fabulous old mansion – I arrived on the stroke of 12.30 and was unceremoniously (and quite rudely) kicked out.

Greenwich Heritage Centre – nice place, not really sure why it’s on the list – it’s always open.

Greenwich Yacht Club – definitely worth a nose for the stilts alone.

Old Royal Naval College – the tours you normally have to pay for are free.

Queens House – absolutely seminal building – again, not sure why it’s on the list, being open all the time (except during the Olympics, natch) but deffo worth seeing if you’ve not been inside yet (where have you been? )

Ravensbourne – an utterly amazing building from the outside – one of my faves, but rather dull inside.

Ruins of Garrison Church, RA Barracks – normally only able to be squinted at through iron gates, worth a view.

Sevendroog Castle – Supeb views and well worth the long queue, not least for the mouldings (and mould) on the inside. Sponsor a brick while you’re waiting; I hope to see it reopen as a tea room and observation tower sometime in my lifetime.

St Alfege Church – book one of their Crypt tours and see the tombs of General Wolfe, Thos. Tallis and Lavinia Fenton.

Call: 020 8853 0687

St Mary Magdalene School – I don’t know this one.

St Saviour’s Church, Eltham – ditto

Station Officers’ Mess, RA Barracks –  If this is the cute bit in the middle, it’s well worth joining a tour.

Thames Barrier and Information Centre  - not sure this is particularly worth it – the REALLY interesting bit is the barrier itself and that bit’s not open.

The Coronet Cinema, Eltham – in the middle of some serious change – probably worth seeing while it’s still at least partially there.

Tudor Barn – a beautiful place.

Woolwich Town Hall - I’ve only ever been in the foyer – it’s on my list for this year.

Enjoy Open House Weekend, folks.

I am sure you already know about this – but just in case you don’t…

Tomorrow morning at 08.12 Artist Martin Creed’s Work 1197 will take place. If I give you the title you don’t really need to know much else:

All the bells in a country rung as quickly and as loudly as possible for three minutes

Annoyingly if you type ‘Greenwich’ into the website you get very little going on, but before I had to stop posting I was in communication with their press officer (who lives round here, btw) and I know there is stuff going on. Quite what, I don’t know – I’ve emailed but had no response yet – if I get any this evening I’ll let you know. Otherwise, I suggest you set your alarm for 08.10, open your window and listen…

You could, of course, ring a bell of your own if you have one – bicycle, alarm, door – anything. I’m not going to repeat the dreary H&S caveats the official website has to carry. We are all products of the 21st Century. We need to rediscover our common sense, not rely on others to tell us the bleedin’ obvious.

I’ve had a lot of questions about the Jubilee celebrations in Greenwich and, not wanting to reinvent the wheel, I’ve been directing people to the council websites’s Jubilee Page and it’s worth reading to the bottom to find out the answer to Pat’s question:

I read that the Bank Holiday celebrations in RNC will end with the opportunity to see the flotilla on the Thames which sounds very exciting!

BUT on the official flotilla website it would appear that the ships/boats will not be coming down as far as Greenwich terminating at Tower Bridge, I think.

Any idea what we might hope to see down here in dear old Greenwich?

Pat’s right – the official flotilla will terminate at Tower Bridge, but some of the ships will continue down to Greenwich, including that nutty floating belfry:

“The elements of the flotilla reaching Greenwich will be led by the belfry barge and will be made up by the Gloriana rowed barge, 10 rowing boats on their way to London Yard, 55 sea cadet boats going to Greenwich Yacht Club, 250 historic, recreational and working squadrons, 8 herald music boats, 10 Thames Clippers going to Greenwich Pier.”

So if you don’t want to brave temperatures of 11° and twenty-deep crowds in town, it could well be worth going to Greenwich around 5.00pm for an hour’s worth of ships going by (thought don’t bother going to the official pageant website for more information as the council site suggests; there’s nothing there at all) on their way home – I’m assuming a fair few of them will have left their kit at the various rowing/boating/yachting clubs around here.

Happy Jubilee-ing!

Staying with that 80s theme (for the title of this post, anyway) here are some great pics by Stephen of HMS Ocean negotiating the Thames Barrier

To me it looks like they’ve got loads of room, but I guess they’re just making it look easy.

She’s going to be moored at Greenwich all weekend

and if you can prove you live in the borough, they’re having an open day for residents on Monday.

Details here

Thanks to Darra, I can now see what a Surface-to-Air-Missile on Blackheath actually looks like. All the TV News guys seemed to be broadcasting from there yesterday but the main story was (for obvious reasons) the residential flats in Hackney that are getting them on their roofs and the frame was so tight on the Blackheath reports I saw that I couldn’t actually see the (fake for the moment) missiles.

Dunno about you but it’s a bit smaller than I had imagined. I was somehow expecting something of the proportions Steve Bell would draw, a massive nuclear warhead dwarfing a sniggering, mad-eyed Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan on Greenham Common. Of course, I am sure size isn’t everything and they can shoot just as far as the other guys with got longer shafts…

But there is something very 1980s about the whole thing. I’m with the guy who said that watching the warheads arrive made him feel like he was in an old re-run of Doctor Who. He was awaiting the Major, which under the circumstances seems like a reasonable enough thing to do.

Seems like the population’s waiting for him too –  one thing that is different about now is the lack of any kind of political interest on the part of the general public. I remember the 80s as being a time of great general anger, where ordinary people got involved in action, often direct. The miners, Wapping, Greenham. I understand there was a 32% turnout at the polls yesterday and the last of the Parliament protesters is just about to be turfed out because she looks a bit untidy.

Still, I guess we’ve got the 80s back in all the things that matter. Duran Duran is going to be representing England’s ultimate contribution to music at Hyde Park for the Olympics.

Rights or wrongs of having surface to air missiles at the end of the road, there is one hell of an military PR exercise going on this weekend and there is a chance for us to have a nose about inspect the biggest part of the Greenwich side of things, not that we’d get any say in whether or not we actually want them.

Residents are invited to take a free boat trip out to HMS Ocean, moored at Greenwich, on Monday 7th May to see around the ship.

All together now: “I am sailing…”

Thanks to Tom the Rigger for this frankly rather creepy time-lapse video (to me it looks a bit like ants over a picnic) of those crazy guys (and gals ) who decorated the Cutty Sark’s masts for the Queen’s visit. I’m not wild about heights, but despite the weather I did find myself almost wishing I could have had a go (almost, mark you…)

The main joyous thing about this post for me is that if this particular embeddery works, it will mean I have finally solved the long-running problem of putting video on the Phantom Website all by myself (the Phantom Webmaster who could make it work remotely when I couldn’t – the classic intermittent fault – is in forn parts – hope you’re having a sunnier time than we are TPW…)

Blimey – it looks as though pretty much everyone turned out, if only for a short part, of yesterday’s events and today I thought I’d share some of the pictures I’ve been sent for anyone who wasn’t able to ‘just nip out for a sandwich…’

It was the Twitter feeds of Rob at Greenwichdotcodotuk and and Warren King (@greenwichcouk and @warrenkingphoto if you follow such things) that made me jealous enough to pop out as at least catch some of the pomp, but anyone who saw my shots yesterday will have seen the hazards of not turning up early enough and sneaking away early, i.e. rubbish shots.

Warren’s good at picking out the sort of things that make the event – the jolly-Britishness of a nation who almost considers it ‘cheating’ to go to a Royal shindig in the sun – there’s something about the photo at the top of this post that sums the day up completely – Union flag umbrellas and blokes halfway up masts getting very cold and wet…

Warren was one of the guys in the press pack  in front of me, which means that he did actually get to see the official stuff too. I have to admit that while it must be fun for the bigwigs on stage, and to some extent for us (I was enjoying the people around me getting far more excited than I had imagined they would), one of the things for which I admire the Queen is her ability not to look totally glazed over at events like this.

This is the shot that I was aiming for when I just held my camera up and hoped for the best. Warren shows how it should be done:

So far, this is all stuff that if I didn’t actually see it with my own eyes, my camera at least did and I was able to catch up with on the local news (anyone else notice that there was absolutely bugger-all in the printed Standard last night?)

But I should have looked out to the river, apparently. Ruth did look out and saw the Royal barge, which will be used on the Thames River Pageant

She also caught the front end of the King’s Troop in the Old Royal Naval college:

whereas I only caught the back of them:

Stephen had taken a different tack and was looking at the later events.

He picked up the celebrations in the ORNC too with some sea cadets – not a regular sight in Greenwich these days:

He then tried hanging about by the Royal Range Rover, only to have it moved before Her Maj got inside. Instead, he nipped over to the National Maritime Museum where he got these:

Thanks to everyone who’s sent me shots. If I can’t be there, photos do help…