When you live in London, and Greenwich in particular, it’s easy to become blasé about the historical significance of your environment. For example, I’m ashamed to say that I’ve never even been to the Maritime Museum or, as Andrew’s latest column this week reminded me, the East Greenwich Pleasaunce.  So to make amends to Greenwich for my neglect, all the events I’ve chosen this week are centred on exploring SE10’s remarkable past.

The Royal Observatory are marking the 125^th anniversary of the Meridian line with a lecture, exploring why Greenwich was chosen as the Prime Meridian, how it all came about and what the impact of the line was both at the time and since.

The borough’s celebration of ‘Black History Month’ continues, with the Thames Discovery Programme’s guided walk Along the Black Waterfront on Monday afternoon.  Led by Professor Steve Martin, the tour will focus on the history of black sailors, dockworkers and labourers, and the 1949 Deptford Riots.  The river is also the focus of the Greenwich Industrial Society this week: they are giving a lecture on Greenwich and Lewisham’s waterfront archaeology at the Old Bakehouse in Blackheath on Tuesday evening.

Casting a slightly wider geographical net is BBC historian Dan Cruickshank, who will be speaking about Georgian London at Blackheath Halls on Wednesday. The ‘Around the World in 80 Treasures’ presenter’s main focus will be the seedier side of the city, as he examines the 18^th Century sex industry and its effect on London’s architecture.

Delving into the dark side of our capital’s more recent history, the Albany in Deptford is screening The End, a documentary film of interviews with real, now-imprisoned East End gangsters.  The film was directed by the daughters of an interviewee who, in his day, was one of London’s most notorious criminals.  And talking of criminal, 1980s haircuts are back in fashion at the O2 this week, with Spandau Ballet in residency from Tuesday to Thursday.

This week marks the 125^th anniversary of a major turning point in Greenwich’s history – the formal adoption of the Greenwich Zero Meridian Line in 1884.  So in honour of this occasion I’ve been seeking out events that are all about ‘firsts’ and trying something new, in the vague hope that this week might represent a small turning point in your history.  Cheesy I know, but let’s go with it…

At the heart of the Meridian line, the Royal Observatory are holding their Autumn Sky Watch this week.  The evening is all about bringing astronomy to a new audience and teaching participants the ‘whats’ and the ‘hows’ of stargazing, including an introduction to using telescopes and a mapping of the early winter skies.

If you’ve ever fancied learning how to snap (or ‘pap’) the stars of the stadiums then here’s your opportunity, as the O2’s British Music Experience is holding an introductory Music Photography Masterclass on Thursday evening.  Three of Rock n Roll’s finest photographers, whose subjects have included all imaginable Rock legends from Led Zeppelin to Oasis, will be teaching the tricks of the trade and sharing their no-doubt colourful tales of life on the road.

Fresh from a sell-out staging of his last play at the Camden Fringe, Eamon McDonnell’s bringing another ‘first’ to Greenwich with the world premiere of his new play The Gift at the Greenwich Playhouse.  Set in the Irish borderlands, the story centres on the dark pasts of a farmer and an ex-terrorist, so expect dark but compelling drama.

Finally, budding evangelists take note – The London Gospel Choir are inviting the people of Greenwich into their choir for a six week community project, starting this Wednesday at Blackheath Halls.  The choir’s modern approach combines RnB and soul influences with choreography and genuine vocal skill and this project culminates in a concert at the end of November – watch this space.

Anything else on in Greenwich this week? Add it in the comments below…

Welcome to October. The nights are drawing in, there’s a definite chill in the air and Sainsbury’s is already selling Homer Simpson advent calendars.  So this week I’m on a mission to beat the autumnal blues and as exercise is a particularly good way to do that, I’m focusing on some of Greenwich’s most active activities to cheer us all up.

If, like me, you find the prospect of the treadmill thoroughly unappealing, you might like to try out the new belly dancing classes on Friday nights at Greenwich West Community Arts Centre. The classes cater for all levels so it’s a welcoming environment for complete beginners, with a guaranteed lack of intimidating six-packs.  From belly dancing to belly laughing (an equally valid form of exercise), impressionist Alistair McGowan is performing at Blackheath Halls this Saturday.

Mental Health charity Time to Change’s ‘Get Moving’ campaign comes to the Heritage Centre on Saturday afternoon, giving participants the opportunity to try new, alternative exercises to help perk us all up a bit.  The activities are divided into 4 different zones: Dance, Chill Out, Active and Games, so there should be something for everyone.

October is also Black History month and as such the council are running a series of exercise classes inspired by Greenwich’s multicultural society. The Arches, Waterfront and Eltham leisure centres are all taking part and classes include Street Dance, Latino & Salsa Aerobics and RnB Dance.  Also part of Black History month is the Literary Nightclub at Greenwich Heritage Centre on Saturday evening, featuring music and poetry from the South Bank Centre’s artist in residence, Lemn Sissay.

Finally, it’s Bike Week in the Royal Parks and Greenwich Park are celebrating on Tuesday evening.  You and your bike can pop along and get health checked by Dr Bike, to ensure your bike is in top shape to keep you going (and keep you fit and happy) through the winter months.

I hope you’re not too worn out from taking part in (or in my case watching) the half marathon this weekend, because you’ll need plenty of energy this week to tackle Greenwich’s totally jam-packed calendar of events.

Dance features prominently in this week’s schedule. The Greenwich Dance Agency are hosting the first of three monthly master classes in Tea Dance this Sunday, teaching the cha-cha, waltz and other classic forms.  All classes are followed by a real tea dance, with live music, tea and (for me) the real highlight: cake.  If you’re more of a spectator than a performer the GDA are also showcasing the results of the British East Asian Choreography Development Scheme (yes it is a mouthful) on Friday.  The four contemporary dancers performing were chosen after a nationwide search and it promises to be a top-class production.

Continuing the dance theme, the prize for this week’s best event name goes to  Adventures in Anti-Cool, featuring three of the UK’s finest hip-hop dancing groups at the Albany.  Close second is Rollercoaster V at the O2, headlined by contemporary rock covers band Coaster.  Air guitars at the ready!

If you have any family heirlooms sitting at the back of your cupboards then I suggest you dig them out and dust them off now, because the BBC 1 Antiques Roadshow is coming to Greenwich this week!  Fiona Bruce and her crew of crusty experts will be at the Old Royal Naval College on Thursday sifting through cobwebbed portraits and cracked teacups to find Greenwich’s hidden treasures.

If you want to give yourself a more realistic chance of making some money, the South East London Chamber of Commerce are holding ‘Beat the Squeeze’.  This networking event is all about offering advice to local businesses about coping through the recession.

Greenwich’s Theatres are also hives of activity this week.  The Playhouse is into its second and final week of the fantastic ‘East’, and Greenwich Theatre is staging ‘Scandal Faustus’, presenting Doctor Faustus and School for Scandal in repertory with just one cast.

Finally there’s also a Benefit Night for Demelza Hospice at Up the Creek Comedy Club on Thursday, a new exhibition at the National Maritime Museum by contemporary artist Jeremy Millar from Monday, and the Friends of Plumstead Gardens open meeting on Thursday evening at St Nicholas’ Church Hall.

Like me, many of you will have watched a jolly beardy Sting starting the Great North Run this Sunday from the comfort of your sofa.  Exhausting viewing, no doubt, but if it also got you thinking that you’d like to do something good for mankind, then it’s a good week to be living in Greenwich.

If you want to go whole hog for charity then London’s own half marathon comes to Greenwich next Sunday.  Run to the Beat starts at the O2 and weaves its way around the borough featuring live and recorded music at eleven stages throughout the race.   All the tunes are strategically chosen to keep the runners moving at a good pace.  If you want to get involved but have left the training a bit late, then the organisers are looking for volunteers, or just go along and cheer on the runners.  When you’re running 13 miles, every little helps!

Along slightly more sedentary lines is the World’s Biggest Coffee Morning this Friday at Charlton House.  All you have to do is turn up, make a small donation and eat cake.  Much more my cup of tea (or in this case, coffee!).  Blackheath halls are also holding a Tea Dance this Wednesday afternoon, featuring a raffle for Cancer Research UK.

If you’re already involved in a Greenwich charity then you may want to go along to the Greenwich Action for Voluntary Service’s AGM on Wednesday Afternoon, again at Charlton House.  It’s a chance for the community’s voluntary, faith and charitable organisations to elect the GAVS board and meet their new Chief Exec. There’s also the presentation of the GAVS Sector Awards, which celebrate the sector’s most remarkable achievements this year.

Finally, one woman’s charitable cause takes comedic form at the Old Bakehouse in Blackheath, with Eleanor Bennett’s Off her Trolley.  Her mix of stand-up, character routines and songs may all sound a bit Little Britain, but there’s a serious point to it: Eleanor’s subject is dementia, namely the way is treated in this country and the impact it has on sufferers and their families.

The roaring success of the comedy festival’s Silent Disco at the ORNC last Saturday (see photographic evidence below) left me wondering whether conventional music consumption could ever really be as good again.  Well, the people of Greenwich are not daunted, as this week’s events are something of a musical tour de force, and none of them involve wireless headphones.

Greenwich Theatre has not one, but two, musical plays showing this week.  Dancing in my Dreams is a new play based on World War 2 evacuee memoirs and featuring evocative songs of the era such as Dancing Cheek to Cheek.  Then on Sunday A Funny Valentine tells the real story of jazz trumpeter Chet Baker, whose prodigious skill only loosely masked a lifelong fight with a drug addiction that caused his imprisonment and eventually contributed to his premature death.

For something a little more on the cheerful side head to Deptford on Saturday evening, where the Albany is staging the energetic Teatro Vivo’s Hothouse, followed by a free tango lesson.  The disco trend continues with the Indigo2 hosting the renowned Ultimate Boogie Night, also on Saturday. This week the journey to the past pays homage to the ‘Lovers Rock’ genre, a form of romantic reggae that originated here in South London in the 1970s and has remained popular ever since.

If you think you have a singing voice but aren’t quite brave enough for those terrifying X factor auditions, Blackheath Halls are running a two-day beginners singing course this weekend.  The sessions will focus on establishing the range and pitch of your voice and giving you a few pointers, as well as providing plenty of opportunity to try out your newfound talent.

Finally, St Thomas’ Church in Charlton is hosting what is probably the best value music event in London, with a cello and violin concert on Sunday afternoon.  The £8.50 entry price not only buys you the enjoyment of listening to two extremely accomplished baroque musicians, but also includes pizza and wine.  Ah, if only they transmitted it all wirelessly, it would be perfect…

Photos from the Silent Disco

With a colourful marketing campaign stretching as far as Charing Cross station (gasp), the Greenwich Comedy Festival obviously means business.  The impressive setting, the Old Royal Naval College, is matched by an equally impressive line up – Russell Howard, Jo Brand, Sean Hughes to name but a few – and the events run every day from Monday to Sunday.

The stand up comedy routines will no doubt do what they say on the can, and do it very well, but there are also some other interesting things happening as part of the festival.  Most intriguing is the outdoor Silent Disco on Saturday night; the music gets transmitted from the DJ box to wireless headphones, so there are no speakers and to the outside world it appears as though all the revellers are dancing and singing along to nothing.  Also notable is the Bad Film Club on Saturday at the Observatory, the idea being that the cheesiest, most cringe-worthy films become comedy gold if you’re watching them in a group.   I confess that logic is a bit too cool for me: in my eyes this is just a condonable opportunity to watch films that I secretly love but would never normally admit to liking, and it’s free!

Back in the real world, there’s a ‘talky’ theme to the other Greenwich events this week.  The Oscar-winning costume designer Julie Harris is talking about her incredible career this Thursday at the Fan Museum and Frances Ward is celebrating the career of George Formby with a talk at Charlton House on Friday evening (7pm).   There’s also a Marie Curie information evening atDeptford Methodist Church on Tuesday, providing a chance to hear more about what the charity does in this area and how you might get involved.  Along similarly charitable lines, if you go down to the woods (aka Greenwich & Bexley Cottage Hospice) on Sunday, you’d better go in disguise, as there’s a Teddy Bear’s Picnic to raise money for the hospice.