Daily Photo: 23/08/2010 – Robin in Greenwich Park

I saw this robin yesterday hiding in trees in Greenwich Park by the path next to Crooms Hill.

Theatre Review: Twelfth Night, Greenwich Park

After six years, and twelve productions, Rainbow Theatre’s summer visits to Greenwich have become a welcome regular fixture.  Always genial, witty and committed to presenting Shakespeare’s plays as uncomplicated narratives, their latest offering, Twelfth Night, in the Observatory Gardens, is no exception.

It is a feature of director Nicolas Young’s productions that he engages with the audience at the earliest possible opportunity.  On this occasion Ross Muir and Peter Goode, as Sir Andrew Aguecheek and Sir Toby Belch, made a beeline for the children I was with and gave a very good comedy double act explaining their roles in the story.  After that the ten year old could hardly look at the double-act on stage without giggling, and he wasn’t helped by their bawdy gesturing either.

The style of Twelfth Night was entertainingly exaggerated; with Andre James Storey’s Orsino taking the laurels for his extraordinarily energetic lovelorn duke.  His performance was big enough, and grand enough, to fill the whole of Greenwich Park with unrequited love – appropriately he was almost Olympian in the scale of his supposed adoration of Olivia.   Although this resulted in an unequal match when his real love for a wryly-witty Viola was revealed, it somehow didn’t matter.  The practical logistics of how the marriage might develop were neither here nor there; it just seemed like a good idea at the time.

The sub-plot rivalled the main action for audience interest, but Matt Salisbury’s Sebastian and twin sibling Emily Bennett’s Viola managed to hold their own against a comic tidal wave emanating from Countess Olivia’s kinsmen.  Malvolio stands and falls by the foolery that surrounds him, and Mark Lascelles produced a convincing comic reaction to the nonsense around him.  In particular his cross gartering scene was tremendously funny – and worrying, as he adopted a series of shockingly awful poses echoing the covers of men’s magazines.   Nicolas Young produced a fine comic scene in the garden that rivalled both the recent productions in the West End for comic value.

There is something consistently good-hearted about Rainbow Theatre’s productions; they are pitched to exactly the right level for the venue and the audience.  As the audience were doused with regular showers during the play I wondered how Barry Stevenson’s Feste would deal with his closing song, ‘the rain it raineth very day’.   The answer was that, spontaneously and pleasingly, the audience joined in to accompany him.

More local parks get Green Flag Award

The borough of Greenwich has increased its tally of Green Flag awarded parks in the latest winners list which has just been announced.

East Greenwich Pleasaunce, Blackheath (in association with Lewisham), Well Hall Pleasaunce and Sutcliffe Park all retained their Green Flags, with Horn Park and Eltham Parks North & South getting the honour for the first time.

Cllr John Fahy, Cabinet Member for Culture and the Olympics commented “I’m really pleased that six of our parks have been rewarded with a Green Flag Award.”

Greenwich Park, which is under the control of the Royal Parks Agency rather than the council, also had its Green Flag renewed.

The ‘Green Flag Award Scheme’ recognises and rewards the best green spaces in the country

Daily Photo: 16/07/2010 – Orange Boxes

These orange containers were a recent temporary addition to Blackheath Avenue in Greenwich Park for the performances of 3rd Ring Out. A fairly garish blot on the landscape although I did quite like the symmetry they created as you looked down at the General Wolfe statue.

Greenwich.co.uk Guide To… Local Tennis Courts

Whilst the England team falters at the World Cup in South Africa, sports fans may instead find something to cheer at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships which gets under way this afternoon. If the fortnight-long tennis tournament – which organisers promise will be vuvuzela free – inspires you to pick up a racquet, here’s our guide to local tennis courts and facilities.

Greenwich Park, Greenwich SE10
Greenwich Park has six tennis courts (and a hut) at the rather grand sounding Greenwich Park Tennis Centre. The courts are perfectly adequate, but at £8 per hour for adults at peak time, they are probably the most expensive pay and play courts in the area and they’re not good enough to warrant that. Rather annoyingly, they lock the courts up during the week for the winter months which is a shame for tennis warriors who play all year round – especially when those months do offer up the occasional mild day.

Ranger’s Courts, Chesterfield Walk, SE10
These three courts, behind Chesterfield Walk, are in the grounds of the Ranger’s House and are leased to Greenwich Council. The courts are attractive and pleasant to play on. Each individual court is fenced off so you’ll spend less time chasing after stray balls, and they have a nice secluded feel because of the high wall that runs around the perimeter. Courts should be booked in advance by calling 020 8858 1692 and the cost of playing is £7 per hour – be prepared for this hourly rate to be zealously enforced.

Eltham Park South, Glenesk Road, SE9
I was a bit of a newbie at Eltham Park South until recently but was immediately impressed. There’s four good tennis courts on a macadam surface which is well marked out. There’s also two table tennis courts and a cafe just next to the courts if you have time to spare after your match. For part of the week, the courts are used by the Greenwich City Tennis Club. There’s a number of grass courts which are made ready for the Summer, too. It’s a nice idea to have some grass courts but I tried them recently, and even when they were freshly prepared, they weren’t good enough to play a proper match on but they are probably fun for a knockabout and the surface is less taxing on your knees.

Maryon Park, SE7
Maryon Park in Charlton has two macadam surface tennis courts. I’ve yet to go and try these ones myself but they’re definitely on my to-do list.

Plumstead Common, Se18
Four nicely surfaced courts which are free to use at Plumstead Common. The courts are, unfortunately, on an ever-so-slightly noticeable slope and the run off area between a couple of the courts seems a little on the slim side but these are good local courts which get well used.

Hornfair Park, SE18
I played here once recently and don’t plan to return any time soon. A bout of rain a day or so before I played had created something of a muddy bog – not unlike the Bog of Eternal Stench in Labyrinth, in fact – in one corner from which it took a brave soul to try to retrieve a ball. There was dog’s mess and moss on the courts and my tennis partner got scratched on the face by a bit of stray wire hanging off the gate which had been used to make an ad-hoc latch.

If rain halts play, it’s worth knowing that there’s some pretty smart indoor courts available to the public over at Bromley Lawn Tennis Club which is just outside the town centre.

As well as these public courts, there’s also plenty of clubs in the area to consider such as Shooters Hill LTC in Eaglesfield Road and the Open Door Tennis Club in Kidbrooke Grove. If you want to find hitting partners without joining a club, check out the London Tennis website which lets you find players near you at a similar standard for league or friendly matches.

Daily Photo: 16/04/10 – Zippos Circus Tent

Zippos Circus at Blackheath, as seen from the cricket pitch in Greenwich Park.

Daily Photo: 12/04/10 – More Daffodils

Inspired somewhat by Tim Keeler’s Daffs photo last week, I took my camera into the park today to get a few more images.

Daily Photo: 16/03/10 – Heathers

Thanks to Fergal Spelman for this photo of assorted heathers in the Flower Garden at Greenwich Park.

London 2012 planning application to be decided March 23rd

The planning application to use Greenwich Park at London 2012 will be decided by a meeting of the Council’s Planning Board on March 23rd.

Council planning officers have recommended to councillors that they support the controversial proposals.

If permission is granted, work will begin in Spring 2010 to prepare the Cross Country course. A test event will begin setting up in June 2011 and will be removed by August 2011.

Setting up of the actual event will begin in March 2012. The majority of the park will be closed for public access from 6th July to 3rd August 2012, with only the Children’s Playground and parts of the Flower Garden remaining open during that four week period.

Removal of equipment and structures associated with the games will take place between September – October 2012, with a reinstatement programme beginning in November 2012. The estimated date for the completion of the restoration/replacement of large areas of acid grassland is 2015.

The planning application has received the support – ranging from the enthusiastic to the conditional – of Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI), the London Borough of Lewisham, British Grooms Association, Pentathlon GB, British Equestrian Federation (BEF), Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site Executive Group, National Maritime Museum, Greenwich Foundation for the Old Royal Naval College, Royal Parks, CABE and English Heritage.

It was opposed by the British Archaelogical Trust, the Blackheath Society and Garden History Society. The Woodland Trust and Friends of Greenwich Park were opposed to the Cross Country element of the plan.

The Greenwich Society urged the council to treat this only as outline permission. No to Greenwich Olympic Equestrian Events (NOGOE) submitted a petition of 13,000 signatures opposed.

2,099 individual letters were received by the Council in response to the planning application – 36 in support and 2,063 objections.

Local campaigners, NOGOE, had hoped that the Metropolitan Commons Act 1866 would prevent the Council giving permission for the Blackheath Circus Field to be used, thus scuppering the whole proposal, but council officials have batted away this complaint, saying the restrictions cited applied only to the historic “Commissioners” of the land.

They say “the functions of the Commissioners have not devolved to the Council. Accordingly, the section imposes no restraint upon the power of the Council to determine the planning application in accordance with the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.”

The meeting will take place at the Town Hall in Woolwich on March 23rd at 7pm 6.30pm and is open to members of the public.

Speed limit to be cut in Greenwich Park

Plans to cut the speed of driving in Greenwich Park have been announced by Margaret Hodge, the Minister for Culture and Tourism.

The speed limit in the park will be reduced from 30mph to 20mph.  The change came as part of a package of regulation changes throughout the Royal Parks which were subject to a public consultation last year.

The new regulations will also allow Private Hire Vehicles into the park for the first time, and also bring parking charges, which have been frozen since 2004, and penalties for non payment into line with Greenwich Council car parks.

Subject to parliamentary approval, the changes are expected to come into force in Spring 2010.

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