Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) is the basis for all of the time zones in the world.

Speaking of time zones, there are 24 in all, which correspond to the 24 hour day. Each zone is 15 degrees away from the next, and it is also the distance that the sun travels in an hour.

Once the sun has passed through all of the time zones, 24 hours have gone by and we are at the beginning again.

Until 1884, most countries used their own capital as the zero point for calculating time, but with the ever-expanding communications and travel networks that were coming into being during those years, it was imperative to work out a world-wide system. Greenwich was chosen as the Prime Meridian for the global time system for several reasons.

Many countries, including the United States, were already using Greenwich as the zero point for their systems, and at the time, most of worldwide commerce depended on sea-charts using Greenwich as the Prime Meridian. It was decided that continuing this system would be more beneficial to most people than trying to come up with another.

So if you would like to know the time in London, just find the current GMT and you are all set.

When you are visiting London, if you have an interest in time and geography you might find it fun to make a trip to Greenwich. The actual meridian line is marked on the ground of the courtyard there and you can pass from the Eastern Hemisphere to the Western Hemisphere by simply walking across the line and back again.

Time in London, England also follows the daylight savings system from the last Sunday in March to the final Sunday in October.

Royal Observatory Greenwich

Address: National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, SE10 9NF

Telephone: 020 8312 6565

Opening Times

10am-5pm

Pricing

Adult FREE, Child FREE | There may be a separate charge for some special exhibitions.

Photo courtesy: Alex France

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