a history of greenwich mean time
Founded by Charles II in 1675 the Royal Observatory, home of Greenwich Mean Time and the Prime Meridian line, is one of the most important historic scientific sites in the world. GMT is by international decree the official starting point for each new day, year and millennium.
The Observatory was built to improve navigation at sea and find the much desired longitude of places– the exact position of east and west – while at sea and out of sight of land, by astronomical means. This was inseparable from the accurate measurement of time, for which the Observatory became generally famous in the 19th century. In 1707 a disaster at sea killed over 2000 men and prompted greater calls for more reliable means of navigation. In 1714, Parliament established a panel of experts, called the Board of Longitude, and offered a massive £20,000 reward (equivalent of about £2 million today) to anyone who could solve the problem of finding longitude at sea. It took nearly 60 years for the prize to be claimed. In the end it went to a little-known Yorkshire carpenter turned clockmaker, John Harrison. Harrison's timekeeper's were to change navigation forever. All four of his ground-breaking timekeepers are kept in full working order on display in the Harrison gallery. The Observatory is now part of the National Maritime Museum and is one of the most famous features of Maritime Greenwich. Visitors to the Observatory can stand in both the eastern and western hemispheres simultaneously by placing their feet either side of the Prime Meridian – the centre of world time and space. |
harrison's time piecethe maritime museam |