HistoryExtra podcast Why Greenwich is the home of time
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Feb 4, 2026 Dr Emily Akkermans, Curator of Time at Royal Museums Greenwich, cares for historic timekeepers and explains Greenwich’s central role in global time. The conversation covers 17th-century pendulum advances, the longitude problem and maritime navigation. It also touches on the 1pm time ball, the 1884 meridian decision, railways and telegraphs spreading standard time, and the move from GMT to atomic clocks.
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Greenwich As The Navigational Anchor
- Greenwich became central because its observatory produced accurate star data used as a reference for navigation and timekeeping.
- That astronomical data anchored charts and made Greenwich the practical standard for maritime longitude.
Longitude Is A Time Problem
- Longitude required knowing the time difference between two places, but 17th-century navigators lacked a reliable way to know time at a distant location.
- This time-difference problem drove advances in accurate clocks and navigation methods.
Flamsteed's Giant Pendulum Clocks
- John Flamsteed installed huge pendulum clocks behind panelling with 13‑foot pendulums suspended from the ceiling.
- These clocks proved the Earth's rotation was effectively constant to the accuracy available then and underpinned later timekeeping.