Ding Dong Merrily On High

Merry Christmas, Phantom Friends! I'm going to be taking a break from the blog after this post for a couple of days, enjoying the many delights of the season, but I wanted to get you mulling over the wine on a fun little poll while I'm away - on the festive joys of the many bells of Greenwich.

There are at least four peals in the town centre and I thought we could discuss our favourites.

I've been collecting them over the past week or so, standing around in a suspicious manner with my Walkman in sub-zero conditions waiting to catch them ringing (I had a couple of false attempts - it's only when you're actually trying to record them that you realise that they're not always in sync either with their own clocks or , indeed, anyone else's...) and thanks to the Phantom Webmaster, I've got some recordings to play you here. The poll will be at the end.





Let's start with Christ Church, out on Trafalgar Road, and work our way in.

I'm pretty sure these bells are recordings, though they're nice and clear and still a welcome sound - loud enough to be heard from a fair old distance. The old clock used to be kept in a glass window in the Forum, but the mechanisms disappeared a couple of years ago - I understand it was given away, which is a real shame. The window looks very empty now.



Moving along, the melancholy chimes of Trinity Almshouses on the river. I'm always reminded of the bells in Mission chapels in Hollywood westerns by this eerie little sound, or perhaps of ships' bells on foggy nights - appropriate, I guess, being a cough and a spit from the Thames.


The next bell is probably the loudest of the lot - and not where I expected it to be. The chapel of St Peter and St Paul - better known as the Old Royal Naval College Chapel, has a magnificent bell-tower, but as I recorded the bells on Sunday morning, at around ten to eleven, calling the faithful to church, I realised that the bell being rung - I could even see it vibrating - was in one of the little Hawksmoor towers; the one closest to the church, not the domed bell tower.




It rings for about 15 minutes on Sunday mornings and on the hour the rest of the time. A clear clang, it gives a wonderfully timeless feel to the ORNC - especially if you're the only one around...

Last, but not least, the parish church itself, St Alfeges.




This was the one that gave me the biggest headache to record - and I'm not even convinced that I've got it now. It's the most elaborate of the peals - playing the Westminster Chimes before the hour-markers - but the whole thing is so quiet that it almost feels as though it's coming from another church, even though I was right underneath the bell tower as I recorded it. It's almost as if they've been muffled or something. Maybe so as not to disturb the neighbours. The other odd thing is that the Westminster Chimes seem to be out of sync - we get the three-quarter, followed by the first, then the second, then the third again - then instead of playing the last bit, it goes straight to the bongs.

I know that it still has all 10 bells and there are real bellringers - though I guess it's mostly automatic nowadays. I'm told part of the mechanism is the medieval original, but I don't know much more. Maybe someone can tell me if this (very bad - sorry I had a lot of extraneous noise and I had to turn the levels up to get the bells) recording is actually of St Alfege's bells. Even having stood beneath them I'm still not sure.

And so to the poll...

Which of these bells is YOUR favourite? Vote here.

If you fancy hearing a really festive peal, get all the recordings playing at once.

Thank you for keeping me company during 2009, for all your questions, tips, news and comments - stay warm, safe and happy over the festive period, eh...

Merry Christmas, One and All!

White Winter Greenwich Hymnal

I've been itching to share this this wonderful, wintry compilation made by what is probably our youngest regular Phantomite, fifteen year-old Seamus, but I've been holding out for the magic of Christmas Eve. It follows on from his other fabulous compilation back in November.

Seamus is hoping that anyone who contributed snow pics to the blog earlier this year won't mind that he's included one or two of them here - I for one, think it's brilliant and watched it about 6 times just the morning he sent it to me - I have a sneaking suspicion you'll do the same - once just isn't enough.

I've been told that some people can't see the image. I've dickered with it, and it should work now, but if you're having trouble find it on YouTube here.

The soundtrack, by the way, is the enchanting White Winter Hymnal by the Fleet Foxes, which has been my number one winter listen this year. In fact I love it so much, I've also included the original stop-motion video by Sean Pecknold, that's also just pure magic...

White Winter Hymnal from Grandchildren on Vimeo.

Merry Christmas Eve, Phantom friends...

The Phantoms Greenwich Gift Guide

After the gloom of yesterday, I thought I'd try to get myself back into the festive spirit by writing my annual Greenwich gift guide.

This doesn't necessarily mean things that are just made or sold here - though there are plenty of non-themed crafty things for sale in the market - but gifts with a distinctly Greenwich flavour, wherever they actually come from.

So here we go:

1) A Case of Meantime Brewery Beer...
...To get you in the mood. There are various shops around town that sell bottles individually, but to get an entire case, containing every single type of beer they're currently brewing, you'll need to go online to Cave Direct. This may all change next year when the new Brewery opens in the ORNC...

2) The New Warwick Leadlay Poster.
A colourful, divided poster, depicting various scenes from the town. If you're not really into posters and you'd rather have a map or one of those strange circular photos by Edward Hill, there's a large selection there too.

3) Membership of the London Bubble Fan Made Theatre Scheme
For those of you who joined Fan Made Theatre last year and went to see The Odyssey at Oxleas Wood, they're continuing it next year. By joining your pal up for the scheme, it costs a couple of quid more than a theatre ticket, but it includes with the ticket, the chance to decide what show they'll put on, plus invites to rehearsals and the after show party. I can't actually find the link any more, but email Bubble and I'm sure they'll point you to where you can sign your friends up to a lovely evening next summer.

4) Anthony Quiney's A Year In The Life Of Greenwich Park
My favourite picture book of the past year, it's both colourful and beautiful - if you missed my review, find it here. It is available, along with one of the best selections of London-based books I know of, at Waterstones in the town centre.

5) A Greenwich Cup and Saucer From Arty Globe
I still can't decide what I think of Hartwig Braun's intricate picture of Greenwich that Arty Globe (in the covered market) turns into all kinds of things from tea towels to T shirts, but one thing's for certain, it bears close scrutiny. The ones I like best are the monochrome, retro-look versions and I utterly love the breakfast cup & saucer sets they're doing at the moment.

6) Nelson's Pride Rose
I've been looking for a particularly beautiful Greenwich-themed rose for ages, and the best I can find is Nelson's Pride, a white, lightly-scented floribunda. It apparently makes a good hedge...

7) The Worm of Death
For the retro-cheese-whodunnit fan in your life, this late 1950s/early 1960s-set potboiler by none other than the poet laureate at the time, C Day Lewis, stretches the credulity a bit, but for a fog-swirling, grit-crunching, danger-lurking, Olde Greenwich, set at a time when the docks were still in use and the Trafalgar Tavern was a doss-house, you'd be hard pressed to find an odder read. Try to ignore the ridiculous premise and just immerse yourself in the Nicety-Nice Crooms Hill world of poet-detective Nigel Strangeways. My review is here. It's been out of print for years, but you can get vintage copies for 35p on Amazon marketplace - hell - it's Christmas - treat 'em to the collectible version for £12.27...

8) Warren King's Greenwich Calendar
Warren produces one of these photographic calendars each year - I haven't seen any for sale in shops yet, but you can get one online here. For a more traditional version, Fergus Noone in the covered market will sell you a very tasteful calendar too.

9) A Theatre of Wine Tasting
I don't know that they actually do gift certificates, but if they don't they should. ToW's Thursday tastings are legendary - and would make a great gift. I'm sure they'd write you out a lovely card if they don't do gift vouchers, and you could attach it to a bottle of something lovely for quaffing now.

10) A Queen's House Plate
The National Maritime Museum will sell you a rather funky line-drawing plate in white and purple - tradition and modern in one...

Nothing here that takes your fancy? Take a stroll round the market - there are some lovely (if non-Greenwich, though I'll accept that not everyone is obsessed...) crafty things. One of my favourites is this puppet stall near the South Entrance.

Pleasaunt Moments - And An Odd Proposal

Back on Saturday I was worrying whether or not the Friends of East Greenwich Pleasuance would be holding their annual carol shindig this year after the indifferent weather of past occasions.

I'm delighted to say they ARE doing the whole festive thing - and it looks bigger than ever, with performances from the Halstow Community Choir (of which I've never heard before...) leading a singalong and the splendid Los Dawsons (I was hoping to nick a nice piece of footage from MySpace to show those of you who aren't converted yet but the account's suspended - you'll just have to live with pics of them at their blog ) playing festive bluesy stuff.

There will be the usual mulled wine and mince pies, and Father Christmas arrives at 2.15pm.

I'm sure much of the afternoon's conversation will revolve around a rather odd proposal which is being put forward as part of the Olympic Legacy funding - installing an 'outdoor gym' in the Pleasaunce - at the cost of fifty grand.

The Friends are a bit surprised at this generous but unsought proposal (they hadn't heard anything about it) and they're soliciting for reactions, wondering whether money like this couldn't be spent a bit more usefully elsewhere (though they accept that the cash will have to go on something sport/fitness related) like upgrading the Bothy/One O'Clock Club or play equipment (though of course they are very kiddie-oriented places and not going to get wobbly adult Phantoms into shape...)

I confess I'm a bit nonplussed about it - in some ways it's good - having money spent on a park seems like a good thing - but in other ways I worry - only a few weeks ago there was concern that putting a temporary farmers market there might somehow be 'disrespectful' - this would mean removing more green grass for hard standing to take specially tough gym equipment - which I have to say isn't wildly attractive .

I don't really buy the argument that people would be embarrassed to use such kit in public - people who are that shy probably wouldn't make it to a regular gym anyway, and nor do I think that it would "attract noisy kids into the park at night after the gates are shut" - surely the answer there is in the statement - the gates are shut - I can't see yobbos making all that effort to get in just to play on the fitness equipment.

I'm not going to march to the barricades over this - I'm not sure I care too much but I do think it needs a bit of talking about, and the worry about using up yet more green space for general 'stuff' is, IMHO, valid.

What do you think the cash should be spent on (given it has to go for sporty things)?

The Advent of Advent

Out a-haunting last night, I spotted the cherry-pickers out in force, putting up this year's Christmas lights. None of the upside-down squiggles of last year, jolly as they were, this year's look to be globes of festivity. It all seemed to be going quite well; I reckon it will all be in place for Friday's big switch on.

The usual minimalist Christmas Tree will brighten up the windswept gloom on Cutty Sark Gardens - its simple maypole of fairy lights is a winner for me (I know not everyone likes it.)

I didn't get a pic as it was still in pitch darkness, but I did briefly pass it as I wanted to get a nosey at the River Bar and Grill, which I've heard rumour is opening this weekend.

The bar area is definitely in place and there are some chairs and tables in random-ish sort of arrangements, though there's also still some scaffolding up there. I can't get any more information as I have searched in vain for any kind of email/website for the place, though if the food and atmosphere work, this could be a stunning venue, especially in the summer months.

I remember a long while back that Kieron who's behind all this, promised to invite Phantom readers to the opening. I can't email you Kieron - but you know where I am - and we're all gagging to know what this place is going to be like (hint, hint...)

Ho Ho Ho

Rachel asks:

"I'm wondering if you or any of your readers could recommend a good place in or near Greenwich where I could take my wee daughter to see Santa and have a picture taken. Ideally I'd love to not have to queue for hours on end. Any help with this would be great."

The Phantom replies:

I'm glad you asked me that, Rachel, as it gives me an excuse to use another of Rich's jolly images, this one very festive indeed.

The obvious place to go is the grotto that's part of the market celebrations. The grand switch-on of the lights is next Friday, 27th November - with the Mayor and the cast of the always-fantastic Greenwich Panto (if your daughter's old enough, I thoroughly recommend it.)

According to the website, the festivities begin at 3.00pm when the lantern parade weaves its way through the market, making the lights switch on - Good Lord - as if by magic! Father Christmas must be sprinkling extra magic Oofle Dust. Between 12.30 and 7.30pm kiddies can visit Santa in his grotto while the adults drink mulled wine and eat mince pies.

To be honest, if I remember from last year, it was a bit of a bunfight (or should I say pudding fight) to get into the grotto on the day of the switch on itself so you might prefer to take your daughter to enjoy the general fun of the event, and visit His Hollyness separately another day. He'll be receiving young visitors on the weekends of the 5th and 6th, 12th and 13th and 19th and 20th December between 11.30am and 5.30pm.

Other places I know Santa turns up for include the Westcombe Society's Dickensian Fair - you'll have to get your skates on though - it's today, at Blackheath High School in Vanbrugh Park between 11:30am to 4:00pm (I vaguely remember that they provide a Rent-a-Santa service where he does special home-visits in the last week before the Big Day - the gen will be in next month's Westcombe News - if, like me, you don't get it delivered, you'll be able to find it online here (there's a small item about it in this month's edition, in the ad about the fair.)

Another event to look out is the Friends of East Greenwich Pleasaunce, who for the last few years have had a Christmas event with Father Christmas bowling up to his grotto in the park in ever-more exotic modes of transport. I've looked on their website but can't see any sign of one being planned this year. They've had some rotten luck with weather in the past; maybe they're hedging their bets and waiting for the last possible moment.

I confess I don't know of any more places he'll be turning up this year - but it's entirely possible someone else does.

Twelfth Night

A flimsy excuse to include a pic I'd forgotten I'd taken - of a jolly little sapling in Greenwich Park, which somebody lovely had decorated, clearly just for me...

Those baubles will have to come down by tonight - or bad luck will befall the park...

Which Way Up?

So - the burning question of the day is:

Are the Trafalgar Road Christmas lights upside-down this year?

This simple poser caused something of a heated discussion last night and we ended up fifty-fifty on it. Should the stars be at the bottom or the top, with the squirly bits under or over them?

So. I think, that like all really important questions regarding Greenwich, we need a poll...

Seasonal Stuff...

December brings a whole bunch of fun stuff - this weekend really kicked the whole Christmas thing off - Friday afternoon's light switch-on in the market, for example. When I went to this only a couple years ago there were about 40 people milling around almost unaware anything was going on at all. This year, the place was packed - mainly with mums and dads come to see their kiddies parade in with rather splendid home made lanterns, singing carols to welcome the lights, which look pretty damn good this year.

Did you know we have a mayor? No - nor did I, or anyone I've spoken to since I saw him on the platform making a speech after the grand switch-on. I knew that Lewisham had one, but I had no idea that there was Greenwich version. Have I just been monumentally unobservant? Of course, he was on stage with the panto cast, so it's just possible that he was just an actor in costume, but I suspect not.

How does that work, then? How does the mayor get chosen? Is he voted in? What does he actually do, apart from the obvious of wearing a red cape and a chain and switching on Christmas lights?

Sunday saw the jolly carol event at East Greenwich Pleasaunce, where Father Christmas arrived (clearly hot-footing it from his grotto in the market, which was doing such brisk trade on Friday afternoon that the queue ran in front of all the shops on the west side...) on a Harley, complete with outriders - oh and he had a steel band and - heavens - good weather too...

Talking of that weather though, December also brings some, um, interesting conditions. I had LatelyGay spitting tacks yesterday, over Westcombe Park Station. Apparently Greenwich has an ice rink after all this year...

I'd certainly slipped and slided my way over to Blackheath Farmers Market market yesterday morning. Every pavement had a thin layer of frost that made just walking quite a task. But apparently Westcombe Park station is a nightmare - no salt/grit whatsoever and seriously perilous. LatelyGay tells me that the elderly guy in front of him went flat on his face. He continues:

"I saw an older couple and cautioned them to watch their step and together we nervously made our way down the hill the to main road. I stuck close to the boundary fence and for a stretch had to grip the mesh as my foot slipped before me."

I guess it's probably worse at weekends because there's less footfall, but here's hoping South Eastern spend a spot of our fares on a bag of salt in the the very near future. In the meanwhile, take care, guys...

Christmas Dinner Christmas Day

Anon asks

"I wonder if you know any pubs or restaurants that are open in Greenwich on Christmas Day for lunch. Everything in Blackheath is incredibly expensive."

The Phantom replies:

I guess the problem is that few people want to actually work on Christmas Day if they can help it - and if they do, they want to be well-remunerated for it. I did it once and I hated it so much I swore I'd never, ever do it again. So restaurants do charge more on that day.

Right-ho - no Blackheath venues, then, which, I confess cuts down the list of really good eateries.

It's been an interesting time trying to find out what will be open. I started with the places I'd actually choose to eat at for Christmas lunch, and worked out from there.

The Plume of Feathers, from its website, at least, has a Christmas menu but doesn't appear to be serving on the day itself. Inside, too, is shut between the 23rd December and 2nd Jan. The Rivington closes Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Ditto the Greenwich Union. The Hill is open - but full. I was only able to find the test page for the Ashburnham Arms's website and they weren't answering their phone, but if they're doing something, it may well be worth a look. The Cutty Sark uses that bloody awful telephone answering service supplied by beer comparison websites which I refuse to subscribe to, as does the Yacht, so I don't know what they're up to.

The Guildford would be my top choice. And it would have been anyway, even if all the others weren't closed. I love that place - and the food. The proprietor is great - sincere and passionate about his place. The Christmas menu is here and comes in at £24.95 - I don't know if there's a Christmas Day supplement - but it seems pretty reasonable to me for three courses. Nougat ice cream bombe. Mmmm.

If you're cool with Greenwich Inc, The Spread Eagle is open on Christmas Day, for both lunch and evening meal. Their menu is here and costs £35 or £42.50. Also the Bar du Musee, which has a choice of menu at £33. I confess I find the place soulless (it began so promisingly, but as it's been taken over and enlarged and enlarged, until it's developed an almost warehouse-like feel.) but plenty of people like it. The Trafalgar Tavern, which I would have expected to be a dead cert, is closed.

So there you have it -the bad news and the good news. The bad being that practically nowhere's open - the good being that the one place that personally I would choose over all the others is open.

Good luck and Merry Bookings...

Winter Holidays in Greenwich

Meri asks:

I am coming to London from Darwin, Australia with my husband and children for Christmas. Staying three weeks. We are visiting my brother and his wife, who live in Eltham. However, we thought we would stay in the Greenwich area. A number of apartments are available for rent.

There are available properties in Bellott Street, Woodland Grove, Blissett street, Westcombe Park Road. Also one in Woolwich (Royal Arsenal apartments). We lived in London about 17 years ago and I worked for a time at Woolwich for the LBG, I remember it as pretty ‘gritty’, not sure whether it has improved, although my brother says Greenwich is a much nicer area. I was wondering if you had any tips. We will be on holiday, but it will be winter. So cosy pubs or cheery cafes (for hearty breakfast) nearby would be nice.

The Phantom replies:

Wow - that's brave - leaving the sun to come to England in the cold and wet...

I don't know the specific properties you're talking about but transport isn't a huge problem from any of them. Obviously the closer into the centre the easier for movement - but it's not a big problem.

You know, we all moan about the area going downhill, but I'd still say that Greenwich is one of the safest places in South East London. And Woolwich is changing on a daily basis - I'll virtually guarantee you won't recognise it - the Love Lane development has created a huge hole in the middle and the Arsenal is a very different animal indeed.

But onto Cosy.

Good cosy pubs include The Plume of Feathers (Park Row) The Vanbrugh (Columb St) and the Richard I (Royal Hill,) though I quite like the Yacht in Crane Street in winter (over summer when it always feels wrong that the windows don't open out onto the Thames like at the Trafalgar.) The Kings Arms (King William Walk) also has open fires, and if you can get a seat in the upstairs window, the Cutty Sark (Ballast Quay) has a cosy feel to it with the wind and rain lashing outside.

If Royal Teas (in Royal Hill) is still open you'll get a good breakfast, though it's worth bearing in mind that it's veggie if you're meat fanatics. If you don't mind a brisk walk across the heath, both Hand Made Foods and Boulangerie Jade in Tranquil Vale are excellent and the Farmers Market just before Christmas is a very jolly affair.

Since you're coming around Christmas time there are a few festive things you should look out for. The Live Advent Calendar last year (where various houses and businesses dressed up a window a day) was slightly patchy - but the good ones were superb. I don't know if they'll be doing it again but if they are it will make a nice trip each morning. I'll be flagging it up here if it goes ahead.

The Panto at Greenwich Theatre is always huge fun, but I made a bit of a discovery last year - the tiny Greenwich Playhouse, next to the Station, did a version of A Christmas Carol which was just amazing. I expect them to follow it up with suitably grown-up kids fare this year (I'm hoping for a nice ghost story) but they tend to be rather late in advertising - so keep an eye out. If I hear about it I'll be posting here - or at least on the Parish News section.

Also worth looking out for are concerts in the Old Royal Naval College Chapel and Painted Hall and also at St Alfege's Church. There is usually ice skating at the ORNC as well which is fun and festive and the market gets quite frenzied at that time too.

There's one other, non-Greenwich thing you should be doing if your kids are not tiny (if they're under-12, get your brother to baby sit.) Dennis Severs's House in Spitalfields is magical at that time of year - for the two weeks leading up to Christmas, there are candlelit 'experiences' of the house called "Silent Night". It is creepy, exciting, beautiful, moving and unforgettable, but you must book well in advance.

I am sure other people will have suggestions - so for now I'm handing over to the floor...