This Saturday (9 September) you can literally watch time travel, as an atomic clock is ferried along the Thames by a flotilla of boats.
The Royal shallop ‘Jubilant’ will lead a procession of 15 vessels from Isleworth to Greenwich, carrying a state-of-the-art, ultra-precise atomic clock. What’s this all about? The clock is being presented by the National Physical Laboratory (based in Teddington), to the Royal Museums Greenwich, to mark the relationship between the two organisations — both of which have played an influential role in how the world tells the time.
The Jubilant itself — owned by the Jubilant Trust — was built for Elizabeth II in 2002.
Here are the timings for Saturday’s event, which covers over 30km of the Thames in all:
10am: Craft assemble alongside the river wall in Isleworth below the London Apprentice pub
10.45am: Peal of bells from All Saints Church, which is the signal for the flotilla to commence
11.15am: Chiswick Pier
12pm: Beverley Brook
12.30pm: Albert Bridge
2pm: Tower Bridge
3pm: Greenwich Ship Tier
Flotilla led by Jubilant, Saturday 9 September from 10am, free. Keep an eye on the NPL Twitter account for more details.
