Old Royal Naval College
Greenwich
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Wren's riverside masterpiece at the heart of Maritime Greenwich: free grounds, the exquisite Chapel of St Peter and St Paul, the Discover Greenwich museum, a Georgian skittle alley and the famous Painted Hall.
With its twin domes and colonnades framing the Queen's House, the Old Royal Naval College is the view of Greenwich everyone knows, and one of the finest groups of buildings in Britain. Sir Christopher Wren designed it as the Royal Hospital for Seamen in the 1690s, and it later became the Royal Navy's college. Today it's a World Heritage Site you can wander freely, from the riverside lawns to the quiet courtyards.
What's here
- The Painted Hall: Sir James Thornhill's breathtaking ceiling, often called Britain's Sistine Chapel (see its own listing)
- The Chapel of St Peter and St Paul: a dazzling Georgian interior in pale blue and gold, free to visit, with regular services and recitals
- Discover Greenwich: a small museum in the Visitor Centre telling the story of Greenwich from the Tudor palace to today
- The Skittle Alley: an 18th-century alley under the Painted Hall where you can bowl the traditional way
- Daily talks and guided tours, a multimedia guide in eight languages including BSL, and free family activities
The grounds are open from early morning until late evening, and the colonnades and riverside are also a favourite backdrop for films and TV. With the Greenwich Distillery, The Old Brewery and the river bus all on site, it's an easy place to spend half a day.
Film tours
The college has starred in everything from Bridgerton and The Crown to Skyfall and The Dark Knight Rises, and two guided walking tours reveal where the cameras rolled: Wigs, Weddings, Powder and Palaces (Saturdays) for period drama fans, and Spies, Sleuths and Superheroes (Sundays) for blockbuster lovers. Tours start from the Visitor Centre and are bookable online.
Eating and drinking
The Undercroft Café, beneath the Painted Hall, is the place for a leisurely lunch, and it also hosts a film-themed afternoon tea in the space often used as a green room for actors on set. Seasonal coffee, snack and ice cream stalls pop up around the grounds, and there are regular weekend food markets.