The Painted Hall (Old Royal Naval College)

What to expect

The Painted Hall is part of the Old Royal Naval College, buildings designed by Christopher Wren and built between 1696 and 1712 as Greenwich Hospital for retired sailors of the Royal Navy. Sir James Thornhill painted the hall's walls and ceiling between 1707 and 1726. The site became a naval training college in 1873 and is now a Grade I listed World Heritage Site.

The hall is a single huge room, and the paintings cover the ceiling, so many visitors find a spot to sit and look up. The Nelson Room, where Nelson's coffin was held before his lying-in-state, has been open since 2005. The grounds are traffic-free, with a chapel, a visitor centre and cafés, and guided tours cover places such as the undercrofts and the crypt. A visit to the hall itself takes about forty-five minutes.

Don't miss

• Thornhill's painted ceiling
• The Nelson Room
• The chapel
• Wren's riverside buildings
• The undercrofts on a guided tour

Tips for your visit

• Take a seat and give yourself a few minutes: the ceiling rewards slow looking.
• Join a guided tour to understand the people painted on the walls.
• Combine it with the Cutty Sark, Greenwich Market and the National Maritime Museum.
• Visit on a weekday morning for a quieter hall.