Old Royal Naval College facts for kids
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
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The Chapel is in Queen Mary Court (left) and the Painted Hall is in King William Court (right). The domes are above the entrances.
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| Location | United Kingdom |
| Includes |
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| Criteria | Cultural: (i), (ii), (iv), (vi) |
| Inscription | 1995 (19th Session) |
| Extensions | 2008 |
| Area | 109.5 hectares (271 acres) |
| Buffer zone | 174.85 hectares (432.1 acres) |
The Old Royal Naval College is a very important and beautiful group of buildings in Greenwich, London. It is part of a special area called Maritime Greenwich. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) says it is a "World Heritage Site". This means it has great value for everyone around the world. Many people think it is one of the most amazing places in the British Isles.
A group called the Greenwich Foundation for the Old Royal Naval College takes care of these buildings. They started in 1998. Their job is to look after this wonderful place for the whole country. You can visit the grounds and some of the buildings. These buildings were first built to be a hospital for sailors. It was called the Royal Hospital for Seamen at Greenwich. The famous architect Christopher Wren designed it. It was built between 1696 and 1712. The hospital closed in 1869. Later, from 1873 to 1998, it was a training school for the Royal Navy.
Contents
A Royal Beginning: The Palace of Placentia
Long ago, this site was home to a palace called Bella Court. It was built by Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester. Later, Margaret of Anjou took it over and renamed it the Palace of Placentia.
King Henry VII rebuilt the palace. After that, people often called it Greenwich Palace. This palace was very important to the Tudor kings and queens. Henry VIII, Mary I, and Elizabeth I were all born here. It is said that Henry VIII loved this palace the most.
During the English Civil War, the palace started to fall apart. Most of it was torn down in 1694. Only a small part, built by John Webb, remained.
Greenwich Hospital: Helping Sailors
In 1692, Queen Mary II decided to create a hospital for sailors. She was inspired after seeing wounded sailors returning from a big sea battle called the Battle of La Hogue. This hospital was built on the old palace site.
Two of the most famous parts of the hospital were the Chapel and the Painted Hall. Sir James Thornhill painted the amazing ceiling of the Painted Hall. It took him many years, from 1707 to 1726. The hospital closed in 1869. In 1875, the remains of thousands of sailors and officers were carefully moved from the hospital grounds to a new resting place nearby.
Four years after the hospital closed, in 1873, the buildings got a new purpose. They became a training school for the Royal Navy. This school was called the Royal Naval College, Greenwich.
The Royal Navy used the college until 1998. After that, the site was given to the Greenwich Foundation for the Old Royal Naval College.
The Greenwich Foundation: A New Chapter
Since 1998, the Greenwich Foundation has brought new life to the site. They manage and control the historic buildings. These buildings are very important and are listed as Grade I buildings.
In 1999, some parts of the buildings were leased to the University of Greenwich. In 2000, Trinity College of Music also leased a large part of the site. This created a special mix of education and culture in one place.
In 2002, the Foundation achieved its goal of opening the entire site to visitors. The Painted Hall, the Chapel, and the grounds became open to the public every day for free. You can also take guided tours. The Old Royal Naval College welcomes students and visitors from all over the world. Sometimes, you can even hear music from Trinity College! As a writer named Nathaniel Hawthorne said in 1863, "the people are sooner or later the legitimate inheritors of whatever beauty kings and queens create."
In 2005, a special room called the Nelson Room was opened. This room is where Nelson's coffin was kept before his funeral. It has a statue of Nelson, old items, paintings, and information about him. You can see it on a guided tour. These tours also take you to old underground areas and a former bowling alley. A church service is held in the chapel every Sunday. Many public concerts and events also take place in the Painted Hall. The area is now a lively place for visitors, students, and local people. It has coffee shops, bars, and restaurants, all mixed into the old buildings. It's a unique blend of "ancient and modern" life in Greenwich.
The Old Royal Naval College and the "Maritime Greenwich" World Heritage site are becoming important places for many activities. Trinity College of Music often provides musicians for events in London. This is part of their effort to connect with the community.
Filming Location: A Star on Screen
The site is often used for filming movies, TV shows, and commercials. Many famous productions have filmed here. For example, scenes from Patriot Games, Shanghai Knights, and commercials for Marks & Spencer were shot here.
Other movies filmed at the college include Four Weddings and a Funeral, The Madness of King George, The Mummy Returns, The Avengers (1998), and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001).
More recently, the BBC TV show Spooks and the show Little Dorrit filmed here. The movies Eastern Promises, The Golden Compass, and The Wolf Man (2009) also used the site. The grounds were used a lot for Amazing Grace (2006), Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011), and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011).
Scenes for The King's Speech were shot here, with the site pretending to be Buckingham Palace. It also appeared in The Dark Knight Rises as a cafe. In April 2012, the college was used for the famous barricade scenes in the movie Les Misérables. In October 2012, Thor: The Dark World filmed here. In October 2013, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. used the college as a set. Guy Ritchie's 2005 film Revolver also filmed a scene here.
Painted Hall Project: Bringing Art Back to Life
In 2014, the Old Royal Naval College announced exciting plans to restore the Painted Hall. Over three years, they worked to preserve 3,700 square meters of Thornhill's amazing artwork. The project focused on the Lower Hall, as the Upper Hall had already been restored in 2013.
A special part of this project was the "ceiling tours." These tours allowed people to get very close to the painted ceiling and watch the experts at work. In March 2019, the hall reopened to the public. The restoration project won several awards for its excellent work.
Gallery
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The beautiful interior of the Chapel
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The Painted Hall seen from its entrance area
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The ceiling inside the vestibule (entrance area) of the Painted Hall
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A detailed view of the central oval painting in the lower hall
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The lower hall of the Painted Hall
See also
In Spanish: Old Royal Naval College para niños
