Greenwich Palace

On a site lying to the south of the river Thames, can be found an ancient royal palace acquired by King Henry V in 1414 when he confiscated the endowments of the alien priories. This palace was granted by King Henry to his younger brother, Humphrey Duke of Gloucester, who built Bella Vista Court 1426-1434.

Related Topics:
Thames - Henry V - Duke of Gloucester

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Renamed the Palace of Placentia (or Pleasance), it was used by Queen Margaret of Anjou, wife of King Henry VI. Enlarged and modernised by Henry VII, it was renamed Greenwich in 1485. King Henry VIII, and Queens Mary I and Elizabeth I were all born there.

Related Topics:
Palace of Placentia - Margaret of Anjou - Henry VI - Henry VII - 1485 - Henry VIII - Mary I - Elizabeth I

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King James I gave the palace and park to his Queen, Anne of Denmark, for whom a new residence, the Queen's House, was built by Inigo Jones 1613-1635.

Related Topics:
James I - Anne of Denmark - Queen's House - Inigo Jones

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The old palace had suffered badly during the Interregnum, and after the Restoration in 1660, the derelict buildings were pulled down. King Charles II wished to build a new palace in ]. Towards this end what is now known as the King Charles Block was built in 1664-1674 by John Webb. The plan proved abortive, and nothing further was spent on it.

Related Topics:
Interregnum - Restoration - Charles II - John Webb

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As King William III and Queen Mary II were preoccupied with rebuilding Hampton Court Palace, and building a new palace at [[Kensington Palace|Kensington, they could ill afford to complete the Greenwich project.

Related Topics:
William III - Mary II - Hampton Court Palace

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Following the Battle of La Hogue, after 1692 the King Charles Block was converted by Sir Christopher Wren, to house naval pensioners. This was opened in 1705 as the Royal Naval Hospital.

Related Topics:
Battle of La Hogue - Christopher Wren - Royal Naval Hospital

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The new King William Building was added in 1698-1728, the Queen Mary Building 1699-1750, and the Queen Anne Building in 1699-1740.

Related Topics:
1699 - 1740

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The Hospital housed 2,710 inmates in 1815, but the number of in-patients began to decline from 1849, and by 1869 they had left the main building. The complex became the Greenwich Royal Naval College in 1873, when the naval college was moved from Portsmouth.

Related Topics:
1849 - 1869 - Greenwich Royal Naval College - Portsmouth

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The Royal Naval Hospital Greenwich continued as an institution, and today still grants pensions, funded by the rental which the trustees receive from the occupiers of the Greenwich site, to seamen, marines, and their widows, and educates their children, especially by funding the Royal Hospital School.

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The Boys' School, Greenwich, established 1782, was merged with the Naval Asylum, Paddington (an orphanage). As the Royal Hospital School it occupied the Queen's House, formerly the residence of the Ranger of Greenwich Park, and later of the Governor of the Royal Naval Hospital, from 1806.

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The School moved to Holbrook, Suffolk, in 1933, and the building became part of new National Maritime Museum.

Related Topics:
Holbrook - Suffolk - National Maritime Museum

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Amongst the secondary buildings at Greenwich, the Dreadnought Seamans' Hospital (formerly the Hospital Infirmary) was built 1763-1764. Taken over by the Seamen's Hospital Society in 1869, and part of National Health Service from 1948, it was closed in 1987.

Related Topics:
1763 - 1764 - National Health Service - 1987

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The King's Observatory (1675) was the central observatory of the Meteorological Office until 1980.

Related Topics:
King's Observatory - Meteorological Office

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After 1873 the main buildings were used by the Royal Navy for a variety of purposes, chiefly technical training. In later years the buildings were however more extensive than the navy required, even though the Joint Services Defence College was also a resident, from 1983.

Related Topics:
Royal Navy - Joint Services Defence College - 1983

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In 1995 it was announced that the Royal Navy would vacate the remaining buildings after the Joint Services Defence College closed in 1997.

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The buildings were handed to the Greenwich Foundation on 6th July 1998. They have arranged for the leasing of the parts of the site to long-term tenants.

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Trinity College of Music occupy the King Charles Block, and the University of Greenwich the King William, Queen Mary and Queen Anne Buildings. They also use the Dreadnought Hospital as a library, and the newer Devonport Hospital as student accommodation.

Related Topics:
Trinity College of Music - University of Greenwich

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Buildings overlooking the river Thames will be used by a new Greenwich Maritime Institute.

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The buildings at Greenwich are surrounded by the 200 acre (809,000 m²) Greenwich Park, a royal park.

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