Old Royal Naval College - Greenwich (London, UK)
N 51° 28.994 W 000° 00.335
30U E 707905 N 5707816
Monumental complex of the Old Royal Naval College, built originally as a Royal Hospital for Seamen, belongs among the most imposing works of the leading Baroque architect of England - Christopher Wren.
Waymark Code: WMM84Z
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 08/08/2014
Views: 13
Monumental complex of the Old Royal Naval College, built originally as a Royal Hospital for Seamen, belongs among the most imposing works of the leading Baroque architect of England - Christopher Wren.
The Royal Hospital for Seamen, also known under name Greenwich Hospital, was built thanks to charitative initiative of the Queen Mary II and her husband, William III at the site of derelict old Palace of Placentia in Greenwich. The hospital was estabilihed for old, sick or badly wounded sailors from the Royal Navy unable to continue in its service.
The monumental complex was designed by architect Christopher Wren and the the foundation stone was layed in 1696. But the the completion of the last great court finished much later - in 1751, many years after Wren's death (1723). Fortunatelly Sir John Vanbrugh succeeded Wren as architect, completing the complex to Wren's original plans. In the architectonic complex with four main buildings called "courts" (King Charles Court, Queen Mary Court, Queen Anne Court, and King William Court) you can find several beautiful inner spaces - the most visited of them are the Painted Hall and the hospital's chapel...
The Hospital was eventually closed in 1869 for lack of pensioneers and housed the Royal Naval College from 1873. The Naval College was closed in 1997, and Wren’s superb complex is now a campus of the University of Greenwich.