Visiting attractions in Greenwich keeps getting inexorably more expensive. And not just because admission prices have increased but because buildings that used to be free to enter started charging money.
• The Royal Greenwich Observatory had free admission between 2001 and 2011, then slapped on a £10 admission charge. It's currently £20.
• The Painted Hall at the Old Royal Naval College used to be free to enter, Following significant restoration it reopened in 2019, then slapped on a £12 admission charge. It's currently £15.
• The winning entries from the Astronomy Photographer of the Year used to be displayed for free at the Astronomy Centre, then in 2019 became a paid-for exhibit at the National Maritime Museum. It's normally £10 to visit but, because of building works, charges were waived on 13th March and admission is currently free.
The Cutty Sark has always charged admission. It's currently £20.
The National Maritime Museum, Queen's House and Astronomy Centre remain free to enter.
But another attraction recently went behind a paywall, the Greenwich Visitor Centre down by the riverfront. It opened in 2010 as 'Discover Greenwich', a proper heritage focus in a building that had previously been mostly tourist information, complete with projected map, on-site brewery and terribly useful toilets. The central map soon got replaced by an information desk and the library of free leaflets morphed into a gift shop, but the exhibition was always pretty good for something you could walk into for nothing. And now you can't.
You can still turn left for what's left of tourist information and you can still turn right for Greenwich-related gifts, but to filter any further now requires payment of a fee. "It was introduced last summer," said the lady at the desk, "but we have just opened a new exhibition about chocolate." The barrier to entry is £3, a drop in the ocean for the average tourist 'doing Greenwich' but still enough to discourage entry. I can't believe the charge rakes in much income either but presumably some accountant thought it worthwhile, if only to help pay the wages of the lady at the desk. They haven't yet used the extra dosh to replace the lettering on the front door which says "Free exhibition".
£3's hardly the economic end of the world but it did get me wondering...
What's London's cheapest visitor attraction?
I'm not including free attractions.
I'm not talking attractions you can get into for free if you have specific membership.
I'm not talking attractions you can get into dead cheap with a resident's bonus.
I'm not including attractions that used to cost a penny in the good old days.
I'm not talking attractions you can ride on, like a bus or a miniature train.
I'm not talking attractions that sometimes do special cheaper deals.
I'm not talking reduced entry prices for children or pensioners.
I'm not talking temporary exhibitions or art shows.
Can anything beat the Greenwich Visitor Centre's £3 charge?
» Climbing the Monument costs £6, so not that.
» The Heath Robinson Museum in Pinner is also £6, so not that.
» The Bow Street Police Museum is also £6, so not that.
» The Aquarium at the Horniman Museum is also £6, so not that.
» Upminster Windmill is also £6, so not that.
» A tour of Brixton Windmill is £5, so cheaper but still not that.
» The Fan Museum in Greenwich is also £5, so not that.
» The Ragged School Museum in Mile End Park is also £5, so not that.
» Severndroog Castle used to be £4 but the website is opaque on the current admission price, if any.
» Havering Museum in Romford is £3, so that's a tie with Greenwich.
» Crofton Roman Villa in Orpington was £3 last year but is closed for improvements during 2024.
» The Wandle Industrial Museum used to cost 50p, so would have been a shoo-in, but is now free so it's not that.
Location: West Street, Carshalton, SM5 3PN [map] Open: Sunday afternoons from 2.30pm to 5pm (from 14th April to the end of September) Admission: Adults £2, Children free
The tower is merely the ornate top of a high-ceilinged one-storey building, and there's genuine treasure within. The long airy room across the front is the Orangery, within which some of the Friends of Carshalton Water Tower will be waiting to meet and greet and inform. It becomes more obvious why they volunteer once you pass through the door at the end. A sequence of further rooms includes a decorated Saloon, decked out with historical info and memorabilia. The Pump Chamber has recently been restored and includes a Victorian water wheel which used to lift spring water into a cistern at the top of the tower. And then there's the plunge bath, or Bagnio. An 18th century creation, this deep tiled pool was used for private bathing - a luxury in its day - and is an exceptionally rare survivor. It's also possible to go up top...
