Greenwich Architecture

Greenwich is renowned internationally for its magnificent architecture. Highlights include the National Maritime Museum, the Painted Hall and Chapel of the Old Royal Naval College, the Queen's House, the Royal Observatory, St Alfege Church, Trafalgar Tavern and the Fan Museum.

Inigo Jones designed the Queen's House in 1616, introducing Palladian architecture to England. It is admired for its Great Hall and Tulip Staircase and is now part of the National Maritime Museum.

The Old Royal Naval College, on the site of the Tudor Palace in which Henry VIII, Mary I and Elizabeth I were born, is a range of some of the most palatial buildings in the country.

Begun for Charles II by architect John Webb, it was completed by Christopher Wren, Nicholas Hawksmoor and John Vanburgh as the Royal Hospital charity, founded by William and Mary in 1694 to care for disabled and veteran sailors. The hospital closed in 1869 and four years later became the Royal Naval College.

The Royal Observatory stands as a monument to navigational research, and is the original home of Greenwich Mean Time. The Observatory galleries unravel time, space and astronomy.

St Alfege Church, a Grade I listed Hawksmoor church, has historical associations going back to Tudor times. It stands on the spot where the Danes martyred St Alfege, an archbishop of Canterbury in 1012

In addition to these well-known buildings, there are other architectural treasures to discover such as ancient follies, perfectly preserved historical streets, and striking examples of contemporary architecture such as the Thames Barrier and The O2, which are both close to the World Heritage Site.

Greenwich’s historical connections are another important reason why the area was inscribed as a World Heritage Site.  Learn more about Greenwich’s living history and then experience it first hand.