Gardens -- England -- London; London (England) -- Description and travel; Parks -- England -- London
Between these two extremes lies a small Park known as Telegraph Hill.
It is only 9½ acres, and is cut in two by a road, but it is very
varied in surface. The origin of its name is from its having been a
station for a kind of telegraphy that was invented before the electric
telegraph had been discovered. Two brothers Chappé invented the
system, and were so successful in telegraphing the news of a victory
in 1793, that their plan was adopted in France, and soon throughout
Europe. In Russia a large sum was expended in establishing a line of
communication between the German frontier and St. Petersburg; but so
slow was the building that the stations were hardly at work before
they were superseded by electricity. The signals were made by opening
and shutting six shutters, arranged on two frames on the roofs of a
small house, and by various combinations sixty-three signals could
be formed. The Admiralty established the English line, of this form
of telegraphy between Dover and London in 1795, and the first public
news of the battle of Waterloo actually reached London by means of the
one on “Telegraph Hill.” The place was well chosen, for even now, all
surrounded by houses, the hill is so steep and conical, that a very
extensive view is still obtained. The site of the semaphore station is
now a level green for lawn tennis. On the other side of the roadway,
the descent is steep into the valley, and there are two small ponds at
the bottom. The cliffs are covered with turf, interspersed by the usual
meaningless clumps of bushes, and a few nice trees.
SOUTHWARK PARK
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account