Greenwich and the Cutty Sark in the Spring sunshine -

Here’s some photos taken around Greenwich, including a snap of the neoclassical glory of The Chapel of St Peter and St Paul (above), and the soon-to-be reopened Cutty Sark. Oh, and a picture of a snazzy model boat.

Lunchtime in Greenwich.

On display was this highly detailed model of the Japanese battleship, Yashima, built in Newcastle in the Victorian era (when we still had a world-leading shipbuilding industry).

A plaque on the side reads:

‘Japanese Armourclad “Yashima” 19 3/4 knots speed, built by Sir W.G. Armstrong Whitworth & Co Ld. Elswick Shipyard 1897 Newcastle on Tyne.

Designed by Sir Philip Watts, KCB, FRS etc.

Looking west along the Thames with the towering spike of The Shard in the distance.

The classical splendour of Greenwich!

The Cutty Sark restored

After a £50m restoration lasting six years, the 1869 clipper, Cutty Sark, will open again to the public on 26 April, 2012.

Once one of the fastest ships on the seas, the boat managed to sail from Australia to London in just 73 days in 1885.

The ship is one of only three ships in London on the Core Collection of the National Historic Ships Register (the nautical equivalent of a Grade 1 Listed Building).

The vessel encountered a serious setback in May 2007 after being badly damaged by fire while undergoing conservation.