The Old Royal Naval College, London

The Old Royal Naval College is the architectural centrepiece of Maritime Greenwich, a World Heritage Site.

The grounds and some of its buildings are open to visitors. The buildings were originally constructed to serve as the Royal Hospital for Seamen at Greenwich, now generally known as Greenwich Hospital, which was designed by Christopher Wren, and built between 1696 and 1712. The hospital closed in 1869. Between 1873 and 1998 it was the Royal Naval College, Greenwich.

The Painted Hall, probably the finest dining hall in the Western world, is decorated with stunning paintings by James Thornhill, and is part of the King William Court. Wren submitted the designs in 1698, and the roof and the dome above were completed 5 years later. Thornhill's decoration, on the other hand, took 19 years to complete. Thornhill was paid by the yard for his work. Pensioners could not eat in the dining hall while Thornhill was working and it was too grand to use as a dining hall when finished.

The Painted Hall remained empty until January 1806, when the body of Admiral Lord Nelson was brought here to lie in state after the Battle of Trafalgar.

In 1824 the Hall became the ‘National Gallery of Naval Art’ and remained so until 1930s. From 1939 until 1998 the Painted Hall was finally used as a dining room.

The Chapel of St Peter and St Paul designed by Thomas Ripley and completed in 1751, was the last major element in the Hospital’s construction. It had a plainer interior than the present one and was typical of English Baroque in relying for its effect on space and proportion rather than embellishment.

In 1779 the Chapel was gutted in a disastrous fire, thought to have been started by smoking in an adjacent tailor’s workshop. It was redesigned and rebuilt under the Surveyorship of James ‘Athenian’ Stuart, in the ‘Greek revival’ style and it reopened in 1789.

Opening Times

The ORNC grounds are open daily 08.00 - 18.00.

The Painted Hall & Chapel are open daily 10.00 - 17.00.
On Sunday the Chapel is open for public worship at 11.00 and open to visitors from 12.30.
Closed 24 to 26 December.

Please note that the Painted Hall and/or Chapel may occasionally be closed at short notice.

Visit website for more information

Ticket Prices

Admission to the Painted Hall & Chapel is free of charge.

Visit website for more information

Disabled Facilities

Visit website for more information

More Information

Telephone: 020 8269 4747

Visit website for more information