A view from Greenwich Park looking towards London in 1796, from J. and J. Boydell's 'History of the Thames', vol. II, p. 246, plate 18 (no. 66 in the series). PAI0488 is another copy.

In 1433 Henry VI gave the Duke of Gloucester permission to enclose 200 acres of pasture and woodland, which now (slightly reduced) forms the area of Greenwich Park. It was popular with many royals: the vanished Tudor palace of Henry VII and Henry VIII was the most important until the rebuilding of Whitehall Palace in the 1530s; James I enclosed the park with a brick wall, and Charles II had the park redesigned by Louis XIV’s gardener, Andre Le Notre (or his workshop). Since the 18th century, the park has been open to the public, though only fully so since the early 19th century, and remains a popular place to relax.

This view, probably from the Observatory, has Hawksmoor's St Alfege's parish church, Greenwich, in the centre with warships being built in the Royal Dockyard at Deptford immediately behind, and St Paul's Cathedral in the distance. The same series (vol II, plate 18 [ no. 65 in series], p. 244 and plate 20 [no. 67], p 248) has respectively (a) a 'View of Greenwich down the River' , looking over the town towards Blackwall from Blackheath Point and (b) a 'View of Greenwich up the River' but the Museum does not have copies of these. The fourth view in the group is a 'View of Greenwich from Deptford Yard', for which see PAH3295. The present view is the most significant of the group, both in the level of detail shown and because a larger-format image than the other three.