The Point - A Hidden Gem?
‘What’s the Point?’ I hear you ask. Well, London has one of the most famous cityscapes in the world and can be viewed from various neighbourhoods away from central London. Some of the more popular areas you can view London from are Primrose Hill, Alexandra Palace, Greenwich and Forest Hill to name but a few. All of these are fantastic, but try and visit one of these areas on a nice sunny day and you can guarantee you’ll have company, lot’s of it! This was Greenwich Observatory on a Saturday afternoon to prove my point!:
Sometimes it’s nice to take in the London views from somewhere a little less occupied where you can enjoy a bit of peace and quiet and relax at the same time. One such place could be The Point situated in Greenwich which is a small grassy area just next to the street Point Hill close to Blackheath. As it was a sunny day I decided to take a walk up there and take a few snaps at the same time. I’ve just acquired a new lens for the Fuji X-T3 which is the 18mm F2. Ok so it’s actually quite an old lens, but I bought it used for a very reasonable price, it’s the first wide angle lens I’ve owned and the fact it goes down to F2 is appealing for street photography as well as landscape shots.
From Greenwich town centre you can get to The Point by walking north past St Alfege Church on your right side, then keep walking down the A206 past Greenwich Picture House Cinema, then turn left into the street Royal Hill. This is a lovely part of Greenwich with traditional shops such as the very popular butchers which always has a queue outside it, as well as a cheese shop giving the area a village like feel. Keep walking up Royal Hill then turn left into Point Hill, this street immediately starts with an incline and feels like it gets steeper with every step.
Eventually the street begins to flatten out and on your left you’ll notice a small area of grass, if you walk over this small field to the outer edge you’ll quickly realise you’ve arrived at The Point due to the fantastic views of London. From here you can see from south west London on the left all the way to north London the right. The key London landmarks are all visible from here. The Shard, Canary Wharf, BT Tower, Wembley Stadium…
Taking in the views
On arrival you’ll quickly appreciate how quiet it is here with very few people about. You may even get to sit on a bench if you time it right!
Surprisingly quiet!
Looking north towards Canary Wharf
The area of grass preceding The Point - much less crowded than Greenwich Park!
Testing out the bokeh capabilities while on F2
As with any half decent viewing area around London you’re able to see what all the landmarks are with a diagram of the landscape etched into this monument.
All in all I was pleased with the photos produced by the 18mm F2 and more than happy with the field of view it provides. I’d like to return here during dusk to see if I can capture some of the bright lights of Canary Wharf from this viewpoint. So next time you’re in and around Greenwich, make a point to visit The Point, you won’t be disapPointed!