The Painted Hall Through Time
The Painted Hall boasts one of the most spectacular Baroque interiors in Europe. The incredible ceiling and wall decorations were conceived and executed by British artist Sir James Thornhill.
The epic painting scheme, known as ‘Britain’s Sistine Chapel’ took nineteen years from the start of the commission to its completion in 1726. By turns extravagant, playful, thoughtful, naïve and politically shrewd, Thornhill’s scheme earned him a knighthood and payment of £6,685.
Painting techniques
Thornhill used a variety of techniques such as trompe l’oeil (‘trick the eye’) and chiaroscuro (contrast of light and dark) to enliven his paintings. His use of illusionistic architecture and steep perspective was inspired by Italian baroque painting.
The many lives of the Painted Hall
Royal Hospital Dining Hall
Originally intended as a grand dining room for the naval pensioners, it soon became a ceremonial space open to paying visitors and reserved for special functions.
Nelson's lying-in-state
Perhaps the most significant function was the lying-in-state of Lord Nelson in January 1806 drawing large crowds to view the hero’s body. The exact spot where the coffin lay is marked by a plaque on the floor.
Visit the Nelson Room
National Gallery of Naval Art
For a hundred years from 1824 the Hall was given over to the first National Gallery of Naval Art. Thornhill’s painted interior assumed secondary importance to more than 300 paintings by artists such as J.M.W. Turner and Sir Joshua Reynolds.
Naval College Dining Hall
The last Greenwich Pensioners left the site in 1869 when it became home to the Royal Naval College, an officers’ training academy. From 1937 to 1997 the Painted Hall functioned as a dining space for trainee officers of the Royal Navy.
Filming Location
Since 1925, the Old Royal Naval College has been the backdrop for over 200 productions, making it the no.1 heritage location in the UK. A range of these productions have used the Painted Hall as dramatic backdrop.
These include The Madness of King George (1994), Lara Croft: Tomb Rider (2001), What A Girl Wants (2003), The Golden Compass (2007), The Crown (2016), Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011), The Great (2023), Napoleon (2003), and many others.
Find out more
Today
The Painted Hall is open daily to the public. Visitors can take part in our daily talks to learn more about the rich history and compelling stories behind Sir James Thornhill’s masterpiece.
