Friendship - Moscow

The Russian connection.

In January 1698 Peter the Great arrived in London with several members of his court. This became known as the Great Embassy, so called because of its size and the importance of the participants. Peter lived initially in central London, but subsequently moved to John Evelyn's house in Deptford to escape the crowds and be near the shipyards of the lower Thames, where he worked throughout his stay. He also visited Portsmouth, Godalming, where he stayed in a hotel on the High street, and Windsor Castle.

Peter the Great Tercentenary Commemorative Plaque
Friday, 4 December 1998 was an exciting day in Godalming's history when His Excellency, the Russian Ambassador to London, Mr Yuri Fokine was present to unveil a plaque to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the visit to Godalming by Tsar Peter the Great of Russia. Peter the Great stayed at The Kings Arms Hotel and the commemorative plaque has been placed on the High Street facade of the building.

The plaque, which was produced by the Union of Russian Artists was presented to the citizens of Godalming from the citizens of the Filyovsky Park district of Moscow where Peter the Great spent much of his life; Vladimir Senkov a representative of the Moscow Mayor's office had brought the plaque from Moscow and was also present at the ceremony.

The eminent visitors were welcomed initially in the Council Chamber by the then Mayor, Michael Stubbs, the Town Clerk and members of the Council who wore ceremonial robes for the occasion. There followed a reception for some 30 people which included Mrs Virginia Bottomley MP at The Kings Arms Hotel and the plaque was ceremoniously unveiled at 3.30 pm. The visitors walked through the High Street and enjoyed an English tea in the Godalming Museum where a copy of the menu for the 1698 visit at The Kings Arms was on display and the then Mayor Michael Stubbs presented a framed print of the Old Town Hall, Pepperpot to Mr Senkov to be hung in the Mayor's office in Moscow.

This is how MUNICIPAL DISTRICT "FILYOVSKY PARK", describe themselves:

Municipal District "Filyovsky Park" is located on the north-west of Moscow and is included into the West Administrative District of Moscow. The area of the Municipal District "Filyovsky Park" is about 7.6 sq. kilometres, population is 61 thousand, approximately 60% of the population are people of the working age. These figures come to an average for other districts, but there are many features distinguishing this district.

The name "Filyovsky Park" is supposed to originate from the name of small river "Fil'ka, which used to flow into the Moscow river. The Moscow river as a blue ribbon encircles a greater part of "Filyovsky Park" District. At the mouth of river Fil'ka the small village of Fili was once situated. The first mention of it goes back to 1454. In the beginning of seventeenth century this land was owned by the old family of Prince Mstislavskiye. From 1690 it was succeded by Lev Naryshkin, who was Tzarina Natalia's brother and future tutor of Tzar Peter I (Peter the Great). At that time (1693-1694) the picturesque Church of Pokrov was built in Fili by serf architect Yakov Buchvostov. The church is extremely interesting from the architectural point and strikingly beautiful. Its the only historical and architectural monument situated in the West District, that is included into the UNESCO List of "Treasures of the World". The great attraction of the District is Filyovsky Park of Culture and Recreation (Leisure Park). It is a unique natural, historical and cultural complex, a living monument to the Art of gardening of the seventeenth-nineteenth centuries, the favourite place of recreation of the inhabitants of Moscow. Every year it is attended by more than 3 million people. The area of the Park is 280 hectares. It stretches along the banks of the Moscow river for 5 kilometres. The beauty of this place has always been a great attraction for painters, writers and artists.