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…

Okay – I just used ye olde ‘popping out for a sandwich’ wheeze because I was jealous of the Twitter posts by @warrenkingphoto and @greenwichcouk and wanted to see some pomp come rain or come shine, mostly rain. If you want photos of the Queen, I suggest you try following those guys; you won’t get any from me. I can confirm she wore a red hat as the woman in front of me told her mate that she did.

Here’s my view:

But actually, you can’t miss the most impressive bit, at the top of this post – the guys on the Cutty Sark’s masts, standing there in the rain waiting for Her Majesty to arrive, then while a (rather beautiful) specially-composed choral/orchestral piece was played (I’d actually like to hear it again some time in the dry when I could properly listen to it; if anyone knows of a YouTube or other recording I’d be keen to know; I’m a big fan of modern choral works) and then continuing to hang around while the Queen was inside the ship.

Here they are again, almost certainly beginning to wish they hadn’t said ‘yes’ in the pub last night:

Take note of the flag btw; it’s all going to change…

I actually, by complete accident (and because I thought I’d better actually come back with said sandwich) was coming out of Rhodes when Her Maj arrived.

But to be honest, that was the closest I ever got. I found myself stuck behind a bunch of furry microphones and butch blokes with giant telephoto lenses and that was that. Still the music was nice. Apparently the Queen received sundry gifts (I refrained from squealing ‘open it, open it’ ), unveiled something and went inside the Cutty Sark.

But hold the virtual press.

As you’ve probably noticed, I’m writing this as I’m downloading photos and weirdly even if I didn’t get any glimpses of her, my camera did. I always thought people holding up cameras and vaguely pointing them in the right direction were wasting their time, but I just tried it and this popped out:

So yeah – I can now confirm she wore a red hat and a red coat. Just call me the Royal Greenwich Phantom Royal Fashion Correspondent.

I turned to go but the chaps up the masts hadn’t finished yet. The Cutty Sark had, for the first time in a very long while (and, I suspect won’t be having for another very long while) the Royal Ensign raised – to show the Queen’s at home:

Here is is, lovingly and expertly photoshopped to show it in all its regal glory:

My sandwich break was getting a bit obvious, so I had to nip back. I am now ‘writing a really important document.’

I am sure Warren and Rob will give you all the gen on the rest of the day.

Blimey – what a weekend. Normally I have at least something to moan about but this weekend Greenwich was just a brilliant place to be, especially if you’re a local. After years of scaffolding, hoardings, railings and no-go areas, at last stuff is being cleared away and we’re entering a small golden window of lovely stuff (before the market goes pear-shaped, of course.)

As one wonder disappears (thanks to Stephen for this fabulously stormy pic of Les Miserables film set being cleared away)

another wonder opens.

At last we were able to get inside the Cutty Sark and hoorah for them giving local people the opportunity to see it first (I did tweet about it, btw). Hundreds of us went – the queues were round the corner, and that was just ticket-holders – and the atmosphere was ‘excited.’

Of course it’s not finished yet, and everywhere there were empty cabinets, plinths with nothing on and vacant display boards, but hey, they’ve got three days… (frankly I think they’ve got a bit of a steep task to get it done by the time Her Maj arrives on Wednesday, but then I suspect that she has never actually ever seen a totally complete project…)

In fact I found it rather charming that wherever you looked there was something being done –  it was often hard to tell which bits were artistically arranged artefacts and which bits were the real thing

And I know we worried about the big old cradle-thing that raises up the ship, but I have to say it’s blimmin cool to walk underneath that hull. I guess only time will tell whether it continues to hold the ship without too much damage, but it certainly seems to at the moment and there’s something truly awe-inspiring about seeing it from underneath:

I even like the way they’ve displayed the figureheads. They always used to be in regimented rows, but grouping them together like a football crowd really gives them  dynamism. I just hope they can sort out the touch-screen display, which was very hyper-sentisive when I tried it and jumped about all over the place before you could read what was on it.

On the deck itself you get a better view than ever because it’s so much higher. I had several enthusiastic new members of staff, including the ship’s captain, coming up to talk, but far beit for me to suggest they tone it down a bit – I enjoyed it really, I just like to be able to stop and look at things without being jumped on. I suspect when the novelty’s worn off (it probably already has) they’ll be perfect.

I had an utterly monster time, and everyone who I’ve spoken to enjoyed it too. It went down especially well that after all that disruption, they did actually invite us locals first.

Oh – I forgot to mention the tea – served in giant enamel mugs. The cupcakes are, like most modern cupcakes, lovely to look at but tooth-rottingly sweet; I don’t think I’ll be having another one, but I’ll be back for tea now I can.

Which brings me to membership. Thanks to everyone who told me to join the NMM Friends – I’m not generally a ‘joiner’ but I’ve done it and recommend it for every local – as well as the existing entry to paid-for exhibitions and as many standing-the-meridian-line-as-much-as-you-like benefits, you also get in free to the Cutty Sark. Believe me, with the amount of friends and relations who have suddenly expressed a desire to come and visit ‘me’. I’ll need that.

It seems almost churlish, then to smile at the photo Meirion sent, but hey, everyone’s allowed to forget the ‘i before e’ rule occasionally:

If it had just been the Cutty Sark preview I’d have been a happy enough Phantom but this was the weekend that kept on giving. After my mug of ship’s tea, I wandered over to see the Vikings invading Greenwich for the first time in 1000 years.

The whole thing looked huge fun; I have sneaking feeling that in previous life I must have been a reenactor. I love watching but could never do it – I could never decide which period I’d want to play. I learned much from this splendid fellow, though, who told me that some of the Vikings actually stayed in their tents over the weekend and that no one ever wants to play Normans.

He also told me that the best bits are the fighting, the fires and the beer.

I loved the way they parked the longboat so that you could get the church spire in the background

but what I really wanted to see was St Alfege himself. The chap in the chainmail told me that in the afternoon he’d be martyred, with the added benefit of, just at the end, a bunch of Anglo Saxons bowling up to tough up the Vikings for the spoils (not convinced that actually happened, but hey, we need to remember the best bits about being a Viking).

Just as I was about to leave though, I heard rumour that he was dying specially for the BBC in St Alfege Park, so I scooted over quick

and there he was under a cherry tree. Sadly I’d missed the actual boning, but I did see him lying very martyr-like under a cherry tree being scattered with petals by sad Anglo Saxons so I can hardly complain.

I have a horrid feeling I might have to watch Songs of Praise for once.

Was it me or were there just sights a-gogo this weekend?

I mean – what was this Gypsy caravan convoy doing along Traf Road?

They’re on their way to Kent from Durham, apparently but I know nothing more.

All in all it was certainly a memorable day to have a wedding:

I confess that after Saturday’s craziness, I was a bit wondered-out for our own local London Marathon the next day and I didn’t bother with my camera. But I went along, cheered and shouted, particularly enjoyed the Kodo drummers and renewed my annual vow never to be even tempted to take part.

So – what’s next, then? Well, the podules are being tested on the cable car, the Queen’s coming on Wednesday, the Cutty Sark properly opens on Thursday, there’s a new exhibition opening at the NMM and the sun’s out. 

Rod's lovely pic of St Alfege again...

They probably could have had better weather for the Big Day, but at least at the moment it’s not raining and hopefully it shouldn’t bog down all weekend for the St Alfege commemoration events.

Yes, folks – one thousand years today since our own local saint for local people was martyred. There’s much going on, including a sell-out service (bet they can’t say that phrase too often…) with the outgoing Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, who will, presumably be keeping a beady eye on the living history Viking Camp (complete with longboat) in the park. Should be quite an eyeful.

Full details on the St Alfege Church website and I am sure there will be photographs a-go-go on the usual sites – keep a particular lookout on Greenwich dotcodotuk and IanVisitswho I’m sure will both get there before me…

My, my, where does the time go? It’s hard to imagine that it’s been nearly a thousand years since our own local saint saw his sticky end pretty exactly where his church stands now. I’ve been curious for some time as to how they’ve been planning to mark said sticky end.

There’s not much point going into the story of how St Alfege died – every blog, newsletter, freesheet, mag etc. has been telling the tale. All you really need to know:

• Archbishop of Canterbury
• Vikings
• Bad Stuff
• Orgy
• Oxbones
• Death

With a bunch of bullet points like that it’s hard to think of a collection of commemorations that aren’t exciting. I confess my imagination enjoyed splendid re-enactments involving today’s Archbishop of Canterbury volunteering to be chased through the streets of Greenwich by parishioners dressed in horned helmets and waving polystyrene animal bones.

Well, we do get re-enactments and we do get the Archbish, but sadly not together. But it looks like good stuff so, given there’s only a couple of weeks before the fun, I thought I’d take a look at what’s going on. I’m quite impressed at the number of St Alfege Churches there are – in Britain alone I make it eight with his name in theirs – and they’re getting together with some others that have connections for the – not really sure I can call it ‘celebrations.’

Unusually for a saint, they’re pretty sure of the exact date of Alfege’s death – 19th April. On that day there’s a rather interesting-sounding river pageant going on. The outgoing Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, will be taking Eucharist at Southwark Cathedral at midday, then St Olaf’s Pier and London Bridge before a Festival Procession goes back, mainly by river, to Greenwich, where the Archbish will also hold a service  at St Alfege’s Church.

The service is at 5.00 and is tickets only, but when a bunch of us went to hear Spem in Alium last Saturday, they said a few tickets were still available. I assume your best bet is to ask at the church. If you can’t get one, you might want to go to the vigil service the night before at 7.30pm which is open to all.

According to the St Alfege Millennium website the 20th, will see a cycle pilgrimage from Canterbury to Greenwich (an unusual way round, given that Chaucer’s medieval pilgrims took the trip in the opposite direction…) but sadly it’s fully subscribed.

The real fun for me is Regia Anglorum though. A little-known fact: I’m crazy for re-enactors. They utterly fascinate me. I like re-enactments, but I love re-enactors. This living history group, whose claim to be “The best re-enactment society in the world – probably”  I have no reason to dispute (even if their scary and fairly unenforceable copyright notice on the website leaves a bad taste in the mouth), are going to be in town between 19th and 22nd April with a full replica Viking longship and everything.  Once again none of the press releases I’ve been said  actually say where they’re going to be but it’s a pretty easy guess that the ‘living history encampment’ is going to be in St Alfege Park. Count me in.

I can’t find anything more about the Mystery Play with an Alfege theme that’s going on in Greenwich on the weekend of 4th May, but it sounds intriguing.

Finally, on 9th June, there will be an ecumenical pilgrimage to Canterbury, the day following the feast of the translation of Alfege.

I’m really looking forward to it. It’s Marathon weekend and though I would have loved to have seen at least some runners dressed as vikings chasing Rowan Williams in 11th Century Bishop costume waving bones, what with the runners, the long ship and the slightly younger Cutty Sark finally ready for a run-around, I think that, for Greenwich at least, the 19th April is going to see 2012′s crazy year really starting in earnest.

We’ve talked about son et lumiere shows before – Greenwich was the first British place to host such an event – in 1957. An idea born in France in 1952, it’s still a really popular summer thing to do across the channel; even in more northern (and therefore British-weather-ish) places like Amiens, where they have the most amazing light show over the cathedral entrance, showing the carved stone statues as they would have looked in medieval times. But over here, they tend to be sporadic events if they happen at all.

We had one a couple of years ago, and it was brilliant – with the light show projected off the Queen’s House:

and I really hoped that it would be the start of a new interest, but nothing else has happened since. Fireworks, nice though they are, are not the same. And if they come with music, they never seem to be connected with it – the bangs come at all the wrong moments.

I came across this old brochure for the 1958 Son et Lumiere, the year after the triumphant first British outing, which implies that they were hoping it would become an annual event. Charles Laughton is back on narration duty and the London Philharmonic is doing the strings thing again. Even the script is much the same – the history of Greenwich, with marching Romans, ravishing Danes and taxing Normans – it’s just expanded.

It cost a fairly hefty 5/- to get in, and I can’t help thinking it must have been hard to keep the local urchins from climbing railings etc. and get a free view, but it must have been quite a show. I wonder if anyone took any pictures?

Technology has advanced so far now that we are used to seeing mega-screens and outdoor cinema. But son et lumiere is different. It’s a piece of created, site-specific art, and I think it’s not been yet been exhausted as a form.

I guess in these days of cuts it’s not something we’re likely to see again soon, even in this year of all manner of celebration, but I rather wish someone would give Greenwich son et lumiere another run for its money.

I guess I should really put this in Parish News – but just in case you’ve missed the 1001 notices and fancy joining in the kneesup:

Friday 3 February

Greenwich officially declared a Royal Borough, marked by the receipt of the Letters Patent – a document formally confirming the Borough’s Royal status and signed by Her Majesty The Queen.

• Musical fireworks display in General Gordon Square Woolwich, along with roving entertainers and Royal-themed content on the Big Screen
• Location: General Gordon Square, Woolwich, London SE18 6HY
• Time: Roving entertainment from 4.30 to 7pm
• Fireworks at 6.40pm

Saturday 4 February

All-day celebrations at three locations in Eltham Town Centre:

The Eltham Centre Archery Road, SE9:

• entertainment and exhibitions all day including an opportunity to view the Letters Patent
• Location: The Eltham Centre, Archery Road, London SE9 1HA
• Time: 10am to 5pm

Free activities at Eltham Palace

• Free entry to Eltham Palace for the day
• Activities including workshops for children, a falconry display, roving ‘royal’ entertainers and costumed characters
• Location: Eltham Palace, Court Yard, London SE9 5QE
• Time: 10am to 3pm.

Tree-planting in Well Hall Pleasaunce

• Official planting of a Black Poplar – presented by Her Majesty The Queen to Greenwich and all other boroughs in London to mark the Diamond Jubilee
• Venue: Well Hall Pleasaunce, Eltham, London SE9 6SZ
• Time: 11am

Evening entertainment at the Tudor Barn in Well Hall Pleasaunce

• Roving ‘royal’ entertainers and live musicians outside the Tudor Barn
• Venue: Well Hall Pleasaunce, Eltham, London SE9 6SZ
• Time: 5 to 6.30pm
• Musical fireworks finale at 6pm

Sunday 5 February

All-day celebrations in Maritime Greenwich including:

• top live music performers (details tba) in a marquee at the Old Royal Naval College
• special Royal Greenwich exhibition in the Discover Greenwich centre including a chance to view the Letters Patent
• walks and talks exploring Greenwich’s Royal history
• live entertainment in Greenwich Market throughout the day
• roving ‘royal’ entertainers, musicians and costumed characters
• workshops for children
• Royal-themed parade involving schools and community performers
• stunning musical fireworks display as the grand finale to the whole weekend

Venues for events on Sunday 5 February:

• Discover Greenwich, 2 Cutty Sark Gardens SE10
• Greenwich Market
• Old Royal Naval College
• National Maritime Museum
• Pepys Lawn (in front of Old Royal Naval College)

Times:

• Free entertainment and workshops in Greenwich Market and National Maritime Museum: 10am to 5.30pm
• Parade departs National Maritime Museum at 5.30pm, travels via College Approach, arriving 5.55pm on Pepys Lawn
• Music stage on Pepys Lawn: 2 to 6pm
• Musical fireworks finale on Pepys Lawn: 6 to 6.15pm