The park has been there for the people since it was opened to the public in the 19th Century – and Greenwich Park Revealed will place the people at the heart of the park.
We’ve consulted with visitors over the past two years to find out more about what they would like to see in the park. Based on this feedback Greenwich Park Revealed will deliver a range of family activities including arts and crafts, wildlife discovery and play opportunities throughout the park. The new Learning Centre will enable us to expand this programme and act as a hub to provide training, learning and volunteering activities and we will be partnering with local organisations to provide more theatre, dance and arts events in the park.
Learning Centre
The Royal Parks charity has developed plans for a new public Learning Centre, to be constructed in an area of Greenwich Park where there is currently an underused contractor’s yard. Architects, Architype have designed the plans for the project.
The construction process will create new green space: it will open up a completely new area of the park, making it available for all visitors to enjoy, transforming part of the area that is currently an underused contractor’s yard. This newly-created green space will create a multi-purpose patio area, and provide views over the Deer Park - a fitting setting for the new Learning Centre.
The ecologically-friendly building will serve as a new community ‘hub’ within the park. It will provide opportunities for adults and children for training, learning, volunteering, events and activities and will also have commercial potential for private events.
The new Learning Centre will also provide public toilets, a changing place, drinking fountain, meeting place and an information point for park users. In addition, the project will also convert an existing residential lodge at Vanbrugh Gate into a new public café, with a kitchen garden maintained by volunteers.
Sustainable
Sustainability is integral to the project. The designs will ensure reduced carbon emissions and environmental impact both in the construction and in the day-to-day running of the centre:
- The building will be energy efficient, well-insulated and ‘airtight’ - preventing heat loss from drafts. Solar and thermal panels will generate energy on-site
- Careful window design will maximise natural daylight and avoid overheating in summer
- The design will incorporate rainwater collection and water-efficient fittings
- Environmentally-friendly natural materials will be used and sourced locally where possible, such as insulation substances potentially made of recycled newspaper, strawbale, hemp and sheep’s wool
- There is an aspiration to use reclaimed timber from The Royal Parks in the construction
- The design will incorporate integrated garden areas for growing and learning, living roofs and bird and bat boxes to support biodiversity.
Future fit
Improvements to the existing contractor’s yard will facilitate more efficient and sustainable working practices at Greenwich Park with better recycling facilities and the installation of new electricity charging points for park maintenance vehicles to use, as The Royal Parks charity transitions towards using electric vehicles in its fleet.
Volunteering
The Royal Parks are looking for people who care about habitats, wildlife, facilities, history and points of interest, and are keen to help others get the most out of their park visits. New volunteering opportunities at Richmond, Bushy and Greenwich parks will be rolled out during spring 2020, so check out our Volunteer Rangers page for more information about this fascinating community role.
Other volunteering roles specific to Greenwich Park will be announced on our Current Opportunities page shortly
Interpretation
Greenwich Park has a rich array of stories to tell, of kings and public protest, of Saxon rituals and recent celebrations, ancient trees and vital insects. New interpretation will reveal and explore some of these stories such as:
- People connected to the history of the Park
- Visual & oral histories of the Park
- The Royal Park, the Restoration & the Grand Plan
- The people’s park, a history of pressure groups and protest
- Past and current festivals, gatherings & events
- Who looks after the park and how they do it
- Archaeological sites
- The geology of the Park and its impact on the evolution of the Park
- Whats hidden below ground, water and the conduit system
- The rich ecology and bio-diversity of the Park
- Axes, views, paths, & the Meridian Line
- The World Heritage Site, the Park and surrounding buildings
New interpretation will take a variety of forms including information boards and signage, self-guided and led walks/tours, or events.