Greenwich

The Wolfe statue

On top of the same hill as the Old Greenwich Royal Observatory is a statue of General James Wolfe, (1727-59) looking out towards the river. General Wolfe commanded the British forces at Quebec against the French and won a great victory, at the cost of his life. He was a resident of Greenwich and is buried in the parish church, St Alfege's.

The statue was erected in 1930 and bears the inscription "This monument, a gift of the Canadian people, was unveiled by the Marquis de Montcalm". On a personal note, my father formed part of the Honour Guard of Boy Scouts at the unveiling ceremony.

The area around the statue gives the grand view over Greenwich, embracing the Isle of Dogs across the river, with the dome of St Pauls and other tall buildings in the City of London. Unfortunately the view has been spoilt relatively recently in my opinion by the 800 feet high Canary Wharf tower block and adjacent buildings.