Old Royal Naval College

The Royal Naval College encompasses 500 years of history. Including links with King Henry VIII, Queen Elizabeth I, William and Mary, Lord Nelson and William Shakespeare.

The buildings were built on the original site of Greenwich Palace and it was here that Henry VIII and his daughters, Queen Mary I and Elizabeth I were born. Whilst King Henry VIII enjoyed Greenwich for its close proximity to the docks at Woolwich and Deptford (it was here that his favourite warships were moored), his daughter Queen Elizabeth I, used Greenwich Palace as her summer residence. 

During the Civil War the Palace fell into disrepair and since then the site has been used as a Royal Hospital for retired Royal Navy veterans and more recently a Royal Navy training college. It was only in 1997 that the Navy left the premises and in 1998 it reopened as the Old Royal Naval Collage.

The famous Painted Hall housed in one of the main buildings of the college, contains an epic painting scheme. British artist Sir James Thornhill took 19 years to complete the painting and it has become known as ‘Britain’s Sistine Chapel’. It was here in the Painted Hall that Lord Nelson was brought after his death. The spot where his coffin lay is still marked by a plaque on the floor.

Today the buildings are used by Greenwich University and the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of music and dance and when passing you can often hear the music practise. The area has also been hailed as one of the world’s most popular filming locations. The Avengers, Pirates of the Caribbean, Thor and The Crown to name a few.