Meridian Day – 26 June 1984In 1984,

Meridian Day – 26 June 1984

In 1984, the National Maritime Museum, of which the Royal Observatory, Greenwich is a part, encouraged people up and down the Line to organise events in order to mark the so-called ‘centenary’ of the Prime Meridian. Although the International Meridian conference took place in October 1884, the Museum designated Tuesday 26 June as ‘Meridian Day’, on the grounds that any outdoor events would be less likely to be affected by the weather. The Museum acted as a coordinating centre for activities and kept interested parties informed of developments though a series of bulletins.
On the day itself, the Royal Mail issued a set of four commemorative stamps and the Red Arrows flew up the Line. At Greenwich, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh and the Astronomer Royal, Arnold Wolfendale, planted a tree on either side of the Line at the Observatory, before joining a crowd of 7,000 children taking part in a wide range of events in the park outside. Neither tree has survived.