This year is the perfect time to visit the spectacular Old Royal Naval Collegein the heart of Greenwich.
Why should you include it on a visit to London?
That's what we'll be looking at in this article.
Old Royal Naval College : article summary
Old Royal Naval College: a new royal palace becomes a royal hospital
The king wanted to create a new palace inspired by his exile in France. It would be a new Versailles.
However, the king did indeed run out of money and interest, and the project was not completed during his lifetime.
His coat of arms can still be seen in the central triangular pediment above the columns.
The building remained largely unused until the site became a Royal Navy hospital in 1694.
It was the idea of Charles's niece, Queen Mary II, who wanted to provide a place for British naval veterans. It took 55 years to complete. At its peak, it has been home to over 2,700 naval veterans.
The painted room: a hidden gem
Imagine the grandeur of this site, which welcomed foreign dignitaries arriving by river to meet the king or queen of the day further upstream in central London.
The Royal Naval Hospital was much more than a home for retired or injured sailors, it was architectural propaganda for the power of the Protestant British monarchy and the Royal Navy.
If you've visited St. Paul's Cathedral, you'll already have seen Thornhill's work inside the dome of another of Wren's masterpieces.
In the center of the lower chamber, you'll see Protestant Queen Marie II and her husband, King William III, with their foot on the head of French Catholic King Louis XIV.
On the back wall of the Upper Room, look for the figure of the artist himself, James Thornhill, in the bottom right-hand corner, hand outstretched.
The Royal Naval Hospital becomes the Royal Naval College
There was a constant battle to find funding for the hospital. The 1735 Rysbrack statue of King George II, located in the center of the lower open area, is a gesture of thanks to the King.
By 1869, it was time for a new reincarnation of the site. In the end, it was deemed unnecessary for retired navy personnel to be cared for in a single location.
The Royal Naval Hospital thus became the Royal Naval College, or a university for naval officers.
In 1939, the first women were admitted to and trained in the Royal Navy. In the 1960s, a low-power nuclear reactor has been installed in the building.
It produced barely enough electricity to boil a kettle, but cost £1 million to decommission in the 1990s.
Old Royal Naval College: a new type of academic institution
In 1995, the British government decided to bring all British armed forces training under one roof at the Swindon Defence Academy, in south-west England.
The naval officers finally left. They were replaced by the University of Greenwich and the Trinity Laban Conservatory of Music and Dance.
You might catch the students taking their pictures of graduation ceremony with the magnificent Wren building in the background.
An appearance in some cinematic blockbusters!
If you haven't yet been to the Old Royal Naval College, you may have seen it without realizing it. In fact, it's a much-used film and TV location.
You might catch a glimpse of Wren's colonnade or twin domes on screen, or the brick and stone of William Court :
- Four weddings and a funeral
- Les Misérables
- Gulliver's travels
- Thor: The World of Darkness
The Old Royal Naval College is the place to be if you want to find out more about London's history. During your trip to the English capital, a detour to the site is almost a must.
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