February News
If you've been wondering what's going on in the Rose Garden, we have an update on progress from Park Manager Clare Lanes.
The garden will close for two weeks from February 5th to the 16th. This will not include the weekend days of the 10th and 11th. During this period a fence will be installed to protect all the new planting.
Between now and March the Park will also be installing obelisks in the central border and an irrigation system. Herbaceous planting in the border around the new roses and grass reinstatement will be carried out.
Sadly the garden's beech tree is diseased and has come to the end of its life. It was still there as we speak, but is due to be taken down within the next few weeks.
Farewell: The diseased and partially dead beech tree in the Rose Garden is due to be taken down
Tree planting - a rare chance to help
The Royal Parks are seeking funding for the trees being planted on either side of the Queen’s Field in front of the Queen’s House.
You may have noticed felling of the Turkey oaks which have made up much of both avenues since the 1970s. These were beginning to fail and have had to be removed. The Park wants to plant 80 lime and elm trees here before Spring. Park Manager Clare Lanes said the trees have been chosen to boost biodiversity and will provide a vital habitat for bees and other pollinators as well as endangered species of butterfly and a range of native birds, including long-tailed tits, woodpeckers and goldfinches.
She said: "This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to shape and protect the landscape of Greenwich Park for centuries to come."
If you'd like to donate, however small or large your budget, click the link here.
Vanbrugh progress
On course: The new Learning Centre in the Wilderness will be a hub for schools
Picture: Katherine Bohanna
Work around the Vanbrugh Gate is really starting to take shape.
Planters are in place for the Sancho Café garden and the new Learning Centre in the Wilderness is under way.
Along with the café and kitchen garden there will be cycle parking facilities, public toilets and a new volunteer hub.
In the Wilderness, the new centre, which will provide a base for schools and adult education, is nearing completion alongside the existing old wildlife building which has been converted into toilets and storage.
Coffee with a view: The raised planters by the Sancho Cafe
Picture: Katharine Bohanna
Come listen with me...
Friends have been invited by the Blackheath Society to a free online lecture exploring the mysterious death of Elizabethan playwright Christopher Marlowe.
Why was Marlowe in Deptford? Was he a spy? Why was he killed? Professor Alan Downie, of Goldsmiths College, who is an authority on Marlowe’s life, will reveal all.
A Dead Man in Deptford, The Murder of Christopher Marlowe, will take place on Wednesday, February 21st at 6.00pm. Please join the meeting a few minutes early where you will be held in a "waiting room".
To join click here
Bird Walk
Our popular Sunday morning Bird Walks continue. The talks are led by Julia Holland and last approximately two hours. The next will take place on February 25th. Meet at the Blackheath Gate at 8.30am. There is no need to book, but bring binoculars if you have them.