Old Royal Naval College

The Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich is one of the great baroque ensembles of England and has been part of the Maritime Greenwich UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997. Construction began in 1696 under Queen Mary II as a hospital for wounded seamen, to designs by Christopher Wren and executed by Nicholas Hawksmoor and John Vanbrugh. The complex's single most spectacular feature is the Painted Hall, a dining room entirely covered in murals by James Thornhill, often called the Sistine Chapel of English baroque painting. From 1873 to 1998 the Royal Navy used the site as its officer college; today it houses the University of Greenwich and Trinity Laban Conservatoire. Visitors can tour the Painted Hall and the Chapel of St Peter and St Paul, with the Cutty Sark and the Thames just outside.