The Old Royal Naval College is the masterpiece of English baroque architecture, set in beautiful surroundings in the heart of Maritime Greenwich. The complex was largely designed by Sir Christopher Wren.
In 1694, what is now called the Royal Naval College, was built as a home for retired naval people, the Greenwich Hospital. In 1869 this home was closed and in 1873 the complex was taken into use by the navy as Royal Naval College, where officers from all over the world were trained in naval sciences. The navy moved to the new Joint Services Staff College in Shrivenham in 1998 together with the RAF and the army.
The Greenwich Foundation was founded in 1997 to maintain these beautiful buildings and to make them open to the public.
Today, the Royal Naval College is used by the University of Greenwich and by the Trinity College of Music. If you walk across the courtyards, you will hear live music coming from different rooms.
The beautiful wall and ceiling paintings in the Great Hall (better known as the “Painted Hall”) and the chapel are certainly worth the effort.
The National Maritime Museum, the Royal Observatory Greenwich, the Cutty Sark Clipper Ship and the Queen’s House are in the immediate vicinity.
