Features Around Anglian College London

Students come to Anglian College to get the best value for money in education.
But how else can a poor student make the most of life in London?

| The Famous Cutty Sark at Greenwich

Education does not just happen in the classroom.  Here at Anglian College we want you to get the very best out of your time here.  It's easy to lash out money on Greater London's top attractions: fine dining, pop concerts, night clubs, sporting events, and heavily advertised tourist attractions.  However, wise students seek out experiences and entertainments that don't cost a fortune.  And the College's lecturers often take parties of students on tours to see the local sights.

London is full of places that are interesting to see, but don't charge admission.  Plenty of music is free and there are lots of interesting public spectacles.  You can explore off the beaten track, visit free museums, and enjoy London's rich history and ethnic mix.

So here are some of Greater London's free (or cheap) sights, sounds, and thrills we think you should not miss.  Click here for some interesting once-a-year events for students on a tight budget, or here for interesting always-open places to visit in Greater London, or read on about some always-open places near to the College.

Greenwich
Just a few miles up-river lies the World Heritage Site of Greenwich.  Tourists can spend a whole day seeing the Park, the Observatory and Maritime Museum, the Old Naval College, and much more.  The whole area is so rich in history (and a fair amount of natural beauty) that it is possible to live 20 years in Greenwich and still not find all the interesting oddities.

Woolwich
Close to the College, Woolwich in 2010 is one big building site.  What were once its economic core, the Arsenal that made big guns for the army and the Dockyard that maintained ships for the navy, are now elegant riverside walks and new housing.  Free attractions include the Greenwich Heritage Centre.  Not free, but worth sampling are boat trips on the river Thames and the Royal Artillery Museum.

Blackheath
For centuries this wide open space of green grass has been a favourite place for revolting peasants to gather.  As you look at the flying kites and games of football there now, spare a thought for the heath's radical past: preachers here gave the English language some of its finest quotations about all men being equal; it was the site of London's biggest land battle; and Shakespeare's famous line "First let's kill all the lawyers" is set here.  Blackheath Village, nestled in a valley below the heath itself, is a relatively rich area with up-market shops, restaurants, and houses.

Green Chain Walk
South-east London is richly endowed with green, wide-open, public spaces.  A series of woods and fields, interrupted by only a few roads, the Green Chain runs for 26 km from the river Thames to Crystal Palace, passing over Shooter's Hill, one of the highest points in London, with a famous water tower and Severndroog Castle.  In the autumn, College staff lead trips to hunt for blackberries, edible fungi, and chestnuts.

Woolwich Ferry
Within walking distance of Anglian College are two interesting free-of-charge routes for pedestrians to cross to the north side of the Thames.  One is the Woolwich Ferry, which mainly transports vehicles and the other is the Woolwich Foot Tunnel.

Thames Barrier
About a mile upstream from Woolwich lies an epic piece of engineering, the Thames Barrier.  This movable barrage across the river protects central London from flooding during exceptionally high tides.  At the adjacent visitors' centre you can read about climate change and how London is sinking while the sea is rising, and in September its gates are fully rotated as a public spectacle.  On the opposite (north) side of the river is the new, very elegant Thames Barrier Park.

Historic Holes
Just south of the Thames Barrier lies Gilbert's Pit, a favourite site for geologists to see the strata that make up the ground under this part of London.  Nearby is a charming small zoo/farm aimed particularly at children, Maryon Wilson Park, and the remains of an Iron Age hillfort.  Other local historic holes in the ground include the Royal Arsenal Cooperative Society's Chalk Mine, the old chalk pit that is now Charlton Athletic's football ground, and the Southern Outfall Sewer leading to the Crossness Pumping Station.

South London
South-east London's Horniman Museum has a wonderfully diverse collection of anthropology, natural history, musical instruments, plus a superb aquarium.  Entry is free of charge.  Also free is Crystal Palace Park, famous for its dinosaurs, where you can also visit a museum to see what a remarkable place the original Crystal Palace was.  Not free, but worth a visit are Eltham Palace and Dulwich Picture Gallery.

Thames Path
You can walk along the south bank of the river Thames from Woolwich to Westminster and beyond, most of the way right alongside the river, with a few diversions inland compensated for by pleasant waterfront pubs.  Near the centre of London you can go into Tate Modern, a free art gallery recycled from an old power station, pass alongside Shakespeare's Globe Theatre rebuilt and the odd-shaped London City Hall, on to the South Bank Centre, which has lots of free events.  As you approach expensive treats such as the London Eye and the London Aquarium you will pass lots of free performances by mime artists and ethnic musicians.

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