Queen's House

The Queen’s house sits at the base of Greenwich Park and is said to be the first classical building of modern times. This was the area that included the Palace of Greenwich, which was completed by the Tudor and Stuart dynasties.

It was Anne of Denmark who saw the beginning of construction of the Queen’s House. Sadly, she died before it was finished, and it was the wife of Charles I, Henrietta Maria that saw its completion. It was also she who began collecting the works of art that are still hung on the walls within the house. Charles II made the house bigger, resulting in how we see the Queen’s House today. During his reign the house was occupied by artists, mistresses, royal brides and ambassadors rather than the Royal family themselves. 

Famous parts of the Queen’s House include The Great Hall, which is designed as a perfect cube and the Tulip Staircase. This staircase was the first geometric self-supporting staircase in Britain and in 1966 a photo was taken which showed ghostly figures ascending the stairs.

Walking round today you can view a renowned art collection, including an iconic Armada portrait of Elizabeth I.

The view from the house leads directly to the river and it was Mary II that preserved this view. She wanted the distance between the buildings of what we now know as the Old Royal Naval Collage to be the same width as the Queen’s House.