Greenwich Hospital. George Seymour. c. 1883-84. Source: Watson, “The Lower Thames —III,” 257.
"To Greenwich by water," says Pepys, "and there landed at the King's House, which goes on slow, but is very pretty. . . . Away to the king, and back again with him in the barge, hearing him and the duke talk, and seeing and observing their manner of discourse. And, God forgive me, though I admire them with all the duty possible, yet the more a man considers and observes them, the less he finds of difference between them and other men." To Greenwich we have come by the same route as the inde- fatigable Samuel, seeing much that he saw, and much more of which he never dreamed. That new house begun by King Charles II. was never finished. In course of time it became Greenwich Hospiital, of which Mr. Seymour has given us a very beautiful drawing. It is hospital no longer, but a Royal Naval College, where officers above the rank of midshipman are instructed in all theoretical and scientific branches of study that have any bearing upon their profession. Beyond the hosjiital lies Cable Street, a piece of old Greenwich, very characteristic of the ancient architecture of Thames side. The bay windows project so far that the houses seem to be half-undermined by the tide. From here one sees to the best advantage the Thames barges, the most attractive of all craft, as they sail upward with their canvas stretched like the wings of great sea-birds. [256]
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Bibliography
Watson, Aaron. “The Lower Thames —III.” The Magazine of Art. 7: (1883-84): 107-114. Internet Archive version of a copy in the University of Toronto Library. Web. 8 November 2014
Last modified 14 November 2014