Royal Borough of Greenwich

The **London Borough of Greenwich** was formed in 1965 as an Inner London borough in south-east London, England. It was granted the title **Royal Borough of Greenwich** in 2012 to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.

Greenwich was one of five host boroughs for the 2012 London Olympics with events held at the Royal Artillery Barracks (Shooting), Greenwich Park (Equestrianism) and The O2-former Millennium Dome (Gymnastics; Basketball).

## History

It was formed in 1965 by merging the former area of the metropolitan boroughs of Greenwich and most of Woolwich (with the exception of North Woolwich, north of the river, which became part of the London Borough of Newham).

## Geography

The borough lies along the south bank of the River Thames between Deptford and Thamesmead. Because of the shape of the river, the waterfront is extremely long. Travelling south away from the waterfront, the ground swiftly rises: Shooters Hill in the east and the high ground of Blackheath in the west bookend the borough, Eltham to the south of these hills falls away slightly.

Greenwich is bounded by the London Boroughs of Bexley to the east, Bromley to the south and Lewisham to the west, and across the River Thames to the north lie Tower Hamlets and Newham.

### Demographics

The borough's population at a 2005 estimate was 228,100 of which over 77% of the population was ethnically White with more than 1 in 10 residents of African-Caribbean ethnicity and substantial minorities of South and East Asian heritage.

### Landmarks

Central Greenwich Town contains a UNESCO World Heritage Site centred on Christopher Wren's Royal Naval College and the Old Royal Observatory.

## Borough Council

Greenwich Council is elected every four years. The most recent elections was on 3 May 2018. The borough is divided into 17 wards with 3 councillors representing each ward. The Labour Party holds a majority with 42 seats. the remaining 9 seats are held by the Conservative Party. The parties of the councillors representing each ward following the 2018 elections are as follows:

* Abbey Wood: 3 Lab
* Blackheath Westcombe: 2 Lab, 1 Con
* Charlton: 3 Lab
* Coldharbour and New Eltham: 3 Con
* Eltham North: 2 Con, 1 Lab
* Eltham South: 3 Con
* Eltham West: 3 Lab
* Glyndon: 3 Lab
* Greenwich West: 3 Lab
* Kidbrooke with Hornfair: 3 Lab
* Middle Park and Sutcliffe: 3 Lab
* Peninsula: 3 Lab
* Plumstead: 3 Lab
* Shooters Hill: 3 Lab
* Thamesmead Moorings: 3 Lab
* Woolwich Common: 3 Lab
* Woolwich Riverside: 3 Lab

### Mayoral regalia

Main article: List of Mayors of Greenwich

Shaped like an astrolabe, the 18ct gold badge on the Mayor's chain embodies the ‘time-ball’ on the principal building of the old Greenwich Royal Observatory, the meridian line and lines of latitude and longitude. The ‘time-ball’ is set with small rubies.

## Education

### Primary schools

* Alderwood Gordon
* Alexander McLeod
* Bannockburn
* Bishop John Robinson
* Boxgrove
* Brooklands
* Cardwell
* Charlotte Turner
* Charlton Manor
* Cherry Orchard
* Christ Church (Commerell St)
* Christ Church (Shooters Hill Rd)
* Conway
* De Lucy
* Deansfield
* Discovery
* Ealdham
* Eglinton
* Eltham Church of England
* Fossdene
* Foxfield
* Gallions
* Greenacres
* Greenslade
* Haimo
* Halstow
* Hawksmoor
* Henwick
* Heronsgate
* Holy Family
* Horn Park
* Invicta
* James Wolfe
* Kidbrooke Park
* Linton Mead
* Meridian
* Middle Park
* Millennium
* Montbelle
* Morden Mount
* Mulgrave
* Nightingale
* Mount Notre Dame
* Our Lady of Grace
* Plumcroft
* Rockliffe Manor
* Sherington
* South Rise
* St. Alfege with St. Peter’s
* St. Joseph’s
* St. Margaret Clitherow
* St. Margaret’s
* St. Mary Magdalene
* St. Mary’s
* St. Patrick’s
* St. Peter’s
* St. Thomas A Becket
* St. Thomas More
* Thorntree
* Timbercroft
* Windrush
* Wingfield
* Woodhill
* Wyborne

### Secondary schools

* Abbey Wood
* Blackheath Bluecoat CE
* Crown Woods
* Eltham Green
* Eltham Hill GS
* Kidbrooke
* Plumstead Manor GS
* St Paul's Academy
* St Thomas More RC
* St Ursula's Convent RC
* The John Roan
* Thomas Tallis
* Woolwich Polytechnic BS

### Universities

The University of Greenwich main campus is located in the distinctive buildings of the former Royal Naval College. There is a further campus of the university at Avery Hill in Eltham, and also, outside the borough, in Medway. Near the main campus at Greenwich, the Trinity College of Music is housed in the buildings of the former Greenwich Hospital.

## Sport within Borough

Greenwich has many sports centres and these are run by Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL). There are also many clubs including football clubs such as Charlton Athletic which not only trains children but is also a professional football club playing in The Championship. There are also several Swimming clubs and Rugby clubs.

## Transport

### River crossings

There are foot tunnels under the River Thames between Greenwich and Island Gardens in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and between Woolwich and North Woolwich in the London Borough of Newham. The Woolwich Ferry takes vehicle traffic and links the North Circular Road to the South Circular Road which runs through the borough.

### Railway stations

* Abbey Wood
* Charlton
* Eltham
* Greenwich
* Kidbrooke
* Maze Hill
* Mottingham
* New Eltham
* Plumstead
* Westcombe Park
* Woolwich Arsenal
* Woolwich Dockyard

### Tube/DLR stations

* Cutty Sark (DLR)
* Deptford Bridge (DLR)-on the boader of Greenwich and Lewisham.
* Elverson Road (DLR) - om the boader of Greenwich and Lewisham.
* Greenwich (DLR)
* North Greenwich (Jubilee Line)

## Parks and open spaces

The borough contains the Greenwich Royal Park.

## Churches

The Greenwich borough is predominantly Christian (2001 Census). The Christian Church is represented by various denominations, among which are Church of England, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, Evangelical, Brethren, Pentecostal, Quakers, etc. Non-Trinitarian groups also exist. Besides these there are various other religious minorities including Sikhs, Muslims, Hindus and Jews.

### Postcode areas

SE2 (part), SE3 (part), SE7 (all), SE8 (part), SE9 (part), SE10 (part), SE12 (part), SE13 (part), SE18 (all), SE28 (part), DA15(part) [BR7 (part).

## References

1. ↑ Letters Patent dated 3 February 2012 Template:London Gazette
2. ↑ "2018 local election results". **Royal Borough of Greenwich**.