Our History
This iconic riverside estate boasts 600 years of rich history linking an incredible cast of monarchs and famous British figures including King Henry VIII, Queen Elizabeth I, William Shakespeare, King William and Queen Mary and Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson.
Built on the site of the Palace of Placentia, also known as Greenwich Palace, this extraordinary building, designed by esteemed architect Sir Christopher Wren, has seen life as both a Royal Hospital and a Royal Naval College. From Henry VIII’s birthplace to Lord Nelson’s lying in state, these walls contain a wealth of key historical moments.
Become one of the 1.2m annual visitors exploring this fascinating Greenwich campus. Drop into the Visitor Centre to understand the many layered histories of these grounds, visit the iconic Painted Hall, known as the ‘UK’s Sistine Chapel’ or spend time in the St Peter & St Paul Chapel to find out why it is considered to be one of the finest 18th century interiors in existence.
Royal origins
In the 1430s, Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, built a residence at Greenwich called Bella Court. It was designed as a retreat for pleasure and entertainment and became a miniature royal court, hosting poets, musicians and men of letters.
It typified Humphrey’s ambitions to dominate the government of England as regent during the minority of his nephew, King Henry VI.
Palace of Placentia
In 1447, Humphrey fell out of favour with Henry VI and was arrested for treason. His death in custody sparked rumours of murder, a theory dramatised in Shakespeare’s Henry VI plays.
Margaret of Anjou, wife of Henry VI, took over Bella Court, renaming it the ‘Palace of Placentia’ (or Palace of Pleasaunce). She embarked on a five-year programme of improvements to turn it into a palace fit for a queen.
Greenwich Palace
From around 1500, King Henry VII demolished the old Palace of Placentia and built a magnificent new riverside palace.
Greenwich Palace, as it became known, was an important centre of court life and was the birthplace of the infamous Tudor monarch King Henry VIII and his daughters Queen Mary I and Queen Elizabeth I. It remained a major site of the court until the English Civil War of the 1640s.
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Versailles that never was
Despite being one of the most important Tudor residences, the palace fell into disrepair during the English Civil War.
Following the war, King Charles II drew up ambitious plans for a new palace to rival Louis XIV’s Palace of Versailles, but as finances and enthusiasm waned only one new wing, King’s House (now King Charles building) was built on the foundations of Greenwich Palace.
