All around London there are little-known gems that only a few people visit … and The Point in Greenwich is one of them.
Yesterday, Sue and I were visiting the Cat Protection shop at Blackheath Standard to drop off some clothes that we were donating to the charity, and off the cuff we decided to visit The Point. We drove across Blackheath towards Deptford and then turned right down Hyde Vale towards Greenwich. Almost immediately we turned left along West Grove, and as we descended the hill towards the River Thames, we found somewhere to park along the eastern side of The Point.
A short walk uphill took us to the entrance to The Point …
… which is a small, grassed area that is surrounded on three sides by trees.
This is a quiet haven in what is otherwise a very busy part of London … and has one of the most magnificent views across London!
The London Eye can be clearly seen on the horizon on the left of this photograph. Somewhat less clear is the Wembley Arch, which on the horizon to the right of this photograph.
Going from left to right are the BT Tower, the Shard, and the dome of St Paul's Cathedral.
Canary Wharf ... in all its glory!
At one side of the viewing platform is a memorial to Flight Lieutenant Richard Carew Reynell, who was killed on 7th September 1940 during the first major German bombing raid on central London.
Now we have found this little oasis of quiet solitude, Sue and I will no doubt revisit The Point again at some point.
Flight Lieutenant Richard Carew Reynell was born in Reynella South Australia on 12th April 1912. His father was Lieutenant Colonel Carew Reynell, a prominent winemaker, who died leading the 9th Light Horse Regiment at Gallipoli in 1915.
Reynell was educated at St Peter's College, Adelaide, and then studied Agriculture at Balliol College, Oxford from 1929 to 1931. On graduating he did not return to Australia to join the family business. Instead, he joined the RAF after serving with the Oxford University Air Squadron.
After becoming a pilot he joined 43 Squadron at Tangmere and later Duxford (where he flew the Hawker Fury) before becoming an instructor with No.8 Flying Training School based at Montrose, Scotland. He then took a job with Hawker Aircraft as a test pilot, and in married Enid Marjorie Watts-Allan on 24th September 1938.
He rejoined the RAF on the outbreak of war, but remained with Hawkers until 26th August 1940 when he rejoined 43 Squadron to assess the Hawker Hurricane's performance in combat. During this time he had one confirmed 'kill' (a Bf109 on 2nd September) and several 'possibles'.
He was recalled to Hawkers on 7th September 1940 but chose to complete that day's combat missions as a replacement for another pilot who had been killed. 7th September was the first day of the Luftwaffe's large-scale daylight bombing raids on London, and Reynell was one of twelve pilots from 43 Squadron who engaged over one hundred enemy aircraft over London. His aircraft (V7527) was hit by fire from a Bf109 over Blackheath and broke apart in midair. Unfortunately Reynell's parachute did not open, and he landed near The Point. He survived bailing out, but his injuries were so serious that he died soon afterwards.
He was buried in Brookwood Cemetery but does not have a Commonwealth War Graves headstone as his family wanted to provide their own.
