cīvitās abscondī suprā montem posita
 |
| Large Standing Figure – attempting to blend into the background |
 |
| The view towards Canary Warf |
 |
| Queen Elizabeth’s Oak – lying in State |
 |
| The ‘Motherstone’ |
Jack Gale, in his 1996 book Goddesses, Guardians & Groves, The Awakening Spirit of the Land, states that many love the place (the Motherstone), a few “find the place threatening and intimidating, not wishing to remain there any length of time” (p.45).
Laura, it would appear, clearly fell into the latter category.
 |
| Laura at ‘the tree’ – what would it reveal, if anything? |
 |
| The Avenue? |
in the area.
 |
| The view from the Point |
 |
| The memorial to Flt Lt Richard Reynell |
As we drove away from the Park, Laura turned to me and commented that, whilst we were walking around the Park itself, she was continually being given the word ‘Quadrant’, right from the point that we initially left the car.
I asked her why she didn’t raise this at the time, to which she replied that, as this was only the second time she’d met ‘Sam’ in person, she didn’t want to come across as ‘strange’ to him.
to find, to the Greenwich area.
 |
| William Blake’s proposed 230ft Britannia Statue and, the eventual occupant of it’s spot the life sized statue of Gen. James Wolfe |
Sammy Fellows – Nothing of any note has been found.
3. Jane Austen
At first mention, Austen’s name raised a smile amongst us – She was internationally known, widely acknowledged as one of the greatest writers in the English language, with works such as Emma, Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice to her credit, but why was Laura given her name at Greenwich Park, of all places?
Had someone read one of her novels, whilst laid on the grass one sunny afternoon or, some other mundane reason?
However, scratching beneath the surface, we were able to find a link to her and Greenwich Park.
Two of Austen’s brothers were Navel Officers – Admiral of the Fleet, Sir Francis Austen and, Rear Admiral Charles Austen, both of whom spent time at Greenwich and, it is known that she had spent time there visiting them (1).
In addition, she was friends with Mary Pearson, eldest daughter of Capt. Sir Richard Pearson, who was the Lt. Governor of the Greenwich Hospital for Seaman, the precursor for the Royal
Naval College.
In isolation, we cannot extend our research any further than this, other that there was a connection, so her appearance wasn’t as random as we first thought, so another visit to the Park may be required to see if Laura is able to uncover any further information here.
(1) Letter to Cassandra Austen – 18th September 1796
4. Flight Lieutenant Richard Carew Reynell
Information relating to Richard ‘Dick / Dickie’ Reynell was not hard to trace, with a couple of reliable sources found after a quick search online, documenting the sad events relating to the death of Reynell, which occurred on a sunny, Sunday afternoon, on the first day of the London Blitz.
Flt Lt Reynell was an Australian who had initially came to Britain in 1929 to study at Oxford University and subsequently joined the RAF in 1931, where he served at No. 43 Squadron, which was based at the time, at RAF Tangmere, near Chichester, in West Sussex.
His talent for flying saw him attached to Hawker Aircraft Company as a test pilot, in 1937, where he was involved with the development of the new Hawker Hurricane single seater fighter aircraft.
In August 1940, he returned to No. 43 Squadron so he could evaluate the Hurricane’s performance under combat conditions, which enabled him to make recommendations or modifications to improve the aircraft.
He was due to return to Hawker on the 7th September 1940 but opted to stay with the Squadron until evening, so that he could take part in the day’s flying.
It was a decision that, sadly, would cost him his life.
The morning started relatively quietly, with a handful of bombs falling on London and the surrounds, but little else.
However, as history subsequently shows, things were about to change and little did Britain know that it was soon to face the full might of the German Luftwaffe later that afternoon.
The German attack was in response to a raid on Berlin two weeks earlier, with Hitler declaring to wipe Britain’s Cities off the map and the afternoon of the 7th September, in the middle of The Battle of Britain, saw the commencement of what we now refer to as the London Blitz.
As the Luftwaffe flew across the English Channel towards their targets, six planes from 43 Squadron was scrambled at 4:30pm, with Reynell leading a half squadron of six, which was one of the first two squadrons to greet the 170 or so advancing German planes over Beachy Head, on the East Sussex Coast.
He and his Squadron pursued the enemy to the Suburbs of South London, where Reynell finally engaged a Messerschmitt Bf 109, over the skies of Blackheath.
During the engagement Reynell’s Hurricane was blown into three pieces, the engine falling through the roof of St Ursula’s Convent, opposite the Park’s western flank, causing a fire, whilst the main part of the fighter plane crashed to the ground onto Crown Point itself, where the monument to Reynell now stands.
Reynell himself was blown out of the aircraft, falling rapidly, his parachute only being partially deployed, crashing through a garden bench before he came to rest on the ground, at 3 Kidbrooke Grove, to the east of the Park.
Already in a bad way with chest injuries, Reynell sadly passed away at the scene, before medical help could arrive.
 |
| Flt Lt Richard Reynell’s Grave, at Brookwood Cemetery, Surrey |
an incident involving an aircraft of some kind.
approximately 5pm. Could this relate to the time of his death?
For the moment, we feel not as, although we currently do not have the time that Reynell passed away, only that it was before medical help could arrive, we feel that even in such a time of emergency, 1 hour 45 minutes was possibly too long a wait before medical assistance arrived on the scene.
The third piece of information, that the aircraft didn’t crash but was taken down we found interesting. Reynell’s aircraft disintegrated in mid-air, with Reynell being thrown clear of his aircraft as it did so.
relation to the Park and the Observatory, our conversation during the drive home
focused upon the geometry of the Park, the way ornamental gardens had been laid
over the years.
this point that quadrant related to how the Park was set out.
wrong could we be on this point.
discover that the term quadrant could also relate to an instrument used to
measure angles or, more relevant to Greenwich itself, longitude, latitude and
even time itself.
use for over 2,000 years, in some shape or form, having first being described
by Ptolemy in 150 AD.
location for a Mural Quadrant (a large Quadrant attached to a wall) since
around 1676, the first being designed by Robert Hooke, the architect, natural
philosopher and polymath.
 |
| Robert Hook’s original 1676 Mural Quadrant at Greenwich |
‘slight’ Mural Arc in 1683 and again in
1689, both quadrants by the Royal Astronomer John Flamsteed.
The final quadrant, another
Mural Arc, was erected in 1721 by Flamsteed’s successor, Edmund Halley (of comet
fame), which is now on display at the Meridian Building at the Royal
Observatory, albeit with several parts missing.
Unfortunately, whilst we were able to get to the source of Laura’s ‘quadrant’,
she was unable to obtain any additional information relating to this during her
visit, so our researches cannot progress any further at this point.
possible connection with Robert Hooke elsewhere for Laura, which is something
that we’ll explore sometime in the future.
were located and, where the final, only surviving one is now situated. Again, a
further visit will be necessary at some point, to attempt to progress this
aspect further.
Augustine of Canterbury (not to be confused with St Augustine of Hippo),
born in Italy, was a Benedictine who became the first Archbishop of Canterbury
on 597, being buried (originally) in what is now St Augustine’s Abbey in
Canterbury.
any direct link between Augustine and Greenwich in our researches but noted
that the original route of Watling Street, upon which Canterbury lies, passes
through the north east corner of Greenwich Park, close to the Roman Temple (and
Motherstone) and to the place where Laura was given the name.
our part, did Laura pick up the thoughts of a traveller or clergyman from
Canterbury, passing through the Park, on their way into London?
of great interest to us.
of the knowledge that he had of the area, unless directly asked, or steer us to
any particular location of interest (to himself), whilst he was there.
to the Park. As with Greenwich itself, only time will tell.
cīvitās abscondī suprā montem posita
|
| Large Standing Figure – attempting to blend into the background |
|
| The view towards Canary Warf |
|
| Queen Elizabeth’s Oak – lying in State |
|
| The ‘Motherstone’ |
Jack Gale, in his 1996 book Goddesses, Guardians & Groves, The Awakening Spirit of the Land, states that many love the place (the Motherstone), a few “find the place threatening and intimidating, not wishing to remain there any length of time” (p.45).
Laura, it would appear, clearly fell into the latter category.
|
| Laura at ‘the tree’ – what would it reveal, if anything? |
|
| The Avenue? |
in the area.
|
| The view from the Point |
|
| The memorial to Flt Lt Richard Reynell |
I asked her why she didn’t raise this at the time, to which she replied that, as this was only the second time she’d met ‘Sam’ in person, she didn’t want to come across as ‘strange’ to him.
to find, to the Greenwich area.
|
| William Blake’s proposed 230ft Britannia Statue and, the eventual occupant of it’s spot the life sized statue of Gen. James Wolfe |
Sammy Fellows – Nothing of any note has been found.
3. Jane Austen
At first mention, Austen’s name raised a smile amongst us – She was internationally known, widely acknowledged as one of the greatest writers in the English language, with works such as Emma, Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice to her credit, but why was Laura given her name at Greenwich Park, of all places?
Had someone read one of her novels, whilst laid on the grass one sunny afternoon or, some other mundane reason?
However, scratching beneath the surface, we were able to find a link to her and Greenwich Park.
Two of Austen’s brothers were Navel Officers – Admiral of the Fleet, Sir Francis Austen and, Rear Admiral Charles Austen, both of whom spent time at Greenwich and, it is known that she had spent time there visiting them (1).
In addition, she was friends with Mary Pearson, eldest daughter of Capt. Sir Richard Pearson, who was the Lt. Governor of the Greenwich Hospital for Seaman, the precursor for the Royal
Naval College.
In isolation, we cannot extend our research any further than this, other that there was a connection, so her appearance wasn’t as random as we first thought, so another visit to the Park may be required to see if Laura is able to uncover any further information here.
(1) Letter to Cassandra Austen – 18th September 1796
4. Flight Lieutenant Richard Carew Reynell
Information relating to Richard ‘Dick / Dickie’ Reynell was not hard to trace, with a couple of reliable sources found after a quick search online, documenting the sad events relating to the death of Reynell, which occurred on a sunny, Sunday afternoon, on the first day of the London Blitz.
Flt Lt Reynell was an Australian who had initially came to Britain in 1929 to study at Oxford University and subsequently joined the RAF in 1931, where he served at No. 43 Squadron, which was based at the time, at RAF Tangmere, near Chichester, in West Sussex.
His talent for flying saw him attached to Hawker Aircraft Company as a test pilot, in 1937, where he was involved with the development of the new Hawker Hurricane single seater fighter aircraft.
In August 1940, he returned to No. 43 Squadron so he could evaluate the Hurricane’s performance under combat conditions, which enabled him to make recommendations or modifications to improve the aircraft.
He was due to return to Hawker on the 7th September 1940 but opted to stay with the Squadron until evening, so that he could take part in the day’s flying.
It was a decision that, sadly, would cost him his life.
The morning started relatively quietly, with a handful of bombs falling on London and the surrounds, but little else.
However, as history subsequently shows, things were about to change and little did Britain know that it was soon to face the full might of the German Luftwaffe later that afternoon.
The German attack was in response to a raid on Berlin two weeks earlier, with Hitler declaring to wipe Britain’s Cities off the map and the afternoon of the 7th September, in the middle of The Battle of Britain, saw the commencement of what we now refer to as the London Blitz.
As the Luftwaffe flew across the English Channel towards their targets, six planes from 43 Squadron was scrambled at 4:30pm, with Reynell leading a half squadron of six, which was one of the first two squadrons to greet the 170 or so advancing German planes over Beachy Head, on the East Sussex Coast.
He and his Squadron pursued the enemy to the Suburbs of South London, where Reynell finally engaged a Messerschmitt Bf 109, over the skies of Blackheath.
During the engagement Reynell’s Hurricane was blown into three pieces, the engine falling through the roof of St Ursula’s Convent, opposite the Park’s western flank, causing a fire, whilst the main part of the fighter plane crashed to the ground onto Crown Point itself, where the monument to Reynell now stands.
Reynell himself was blown out of the aircraft, falling rapidly, his parachute only being partially deployed, crashing through a garden bench before he came to rest on the ground, at 3 Kidbrooke Grove, to the east of the Park.
Already in a bad way withchest injuries, Reynell sadly passed away at the scene, before medical help could arrive.
|
| Flt Lt Richard Reynell’s Grave, at Brookwood Cemetery, Surrey |
|
| Robert Hook’s original 1676 Mural Quadrant at Greenwich |
This was replaced by a ‘slight’ Mural Arc in 1683 and again in 1689, both quadrants by the Royal Astronomer John Flamsteed.
The final quadrant, another Mural Arc, was erected in 1721 by Flamsteed’s successor, Edmund Halley (of comet fame), which is now on display at the Meridian Building at the Royal Observatory, albeit with several parts missing.
Unfortunately, whilst we were able to get to the source of Laura’s ‘quadrant’, she was unable to obtain any additional information relating to this during her visit, so our researches cannot progress any further at this point.
However, there was also a possible connection with Robert Hooke elsewhere for Laura, which is something that we’ll explore sometime in the future.
We know where the quadrants were located and, where the final, only surviving one is now situated. Again, a further visit will be necessary at some point, to attempt to progress this aspect further.
6. Augustine
Augustine of Canterbury (not to be confused with St Augustine of Hippo), born in Italy, was a Benedictine who became the first Archbishop of Canterbury on 597, being buried (originally) in what is now St Augustine’s Abbey in Canterbury.
We have not been able to find any direct link between Augustine and Greenwich in our researches but noted the original route of Watling Street, upon which Canterbury lies, passes through the north east corner of Greenwich Park, close to the Roman Temple (and The Motherstone) and, to the place where Laura was given the name.
Although pure conjecture on our part, did Laura pick up the thoughts of a traveller or clergyman from Canterbury, passing through the Park, on their way into London?
