The Painted Hall: Britain’s Answer To The Sistine Chapel

Now is a great time to be a tourist in your own city. London has so much to offer and The Old Royal Naval College and The Painted Hall in Greenwich should be high up on your to-visit list.

The site of The Old Royal Naval College in the heart of historic Greenwich has served many purposes. Starting life as a Tudor palace it went on to be a hospital for retired seamen, naval college and now heritage centre. It is a place packed to the rafters with history.

Here are 5 reasons to get yourself down to The Old Royal Naval College including seeing Britain’s answer to the Sistine chapel!

1. Greenwich Park

Firstly, Greenwich is really lovely. I spent the whole day there and have so much more to go back and see.

We started our visit by having a walk round Greenwich Park. The palace on the site was known as the ‘Palace of Placentia’, meaning essentially ‘Palace of Pleasure’. Henry VIII was its most enthusiastic resident and made sure it lived up to its name. He held the first masquerade ball in England here in 1516 and it was his favourite hunting spot. The deer you can see in the park today are descended from the herd started by him. As well as the world-famous Greenwich observatory, you can also see Queen Elizabeth’s Oak in the park. Seeded in the 12th century, Henry VIII is said to have danced underneath it with Anne Boleyn and Queen Elizabeth I supposedly picnicked under its canopy.

2. The Painted Hall

The Painted Hall is known as Britain’s answer to the Sistine Chapel and there is only one word for it: breathtaking. James Thornhill finished painting it in 1726 after 19 long years of hard graft. It is epic in scale. It depicts over 200 figures including kings, queens and mythological creatures covering 40,000 square feet of walls and ceilings.

They run half an hour tours to explain the motive and meaning behind the multitude of symbols and figures. I would highly recommend this but get ready for a bit of neck craning.

It was painted at a time when Britain was becoming a world power and this story is spread out before your eyes. I particularly love the depiction of George I and his family at the far end of the hall. It is essentially a giant piece of Georgian propaganda to show the British people they were a stable, prosperous and fertile family. I very much enjoy that Sophia, George I’s mother, has a tiny castle on her head…not sure why. See if you can spot it below.

3. The Chapel

The chapel that would have been used by the Tudor monarchs sadly burnt down in 1779. However, this wonderful chapel was built in its place. the chapel of St Peter and St Paul was built in the neo-classical baroque style. It’s beautiful and the ceiling in particular is stunning. They’re clearly good with ceilings in Greenwich…

4. The Exhibitions

Until February 2021 there is an exhibit on Black Greenwich Pensioners. I thought this was very interesting and enlightening. It goes through the role that black mariners played in British naval history.

The lives of particular prominent black Greenwich pensioners are looked at in more detail such as John Thomas. John was born into slavery in Barbados and ran away in 1808. He joined the royal navy and ended up becoming a pensioner at Greenwich. Tragically however, he returned to Barbados and was re-enslaved on the same plantation he had run away from.

Read more about the exhibition here.

5. Skittle Alley

As a retired seaman you did not have a lot to do other than eat, chat and smoke. Naturally they got bored and so a skittle alley was built for them in the vaults below the college.

The bowling balls were old mock cannonballs that they would have used during artillery training in their navy days. The skittles were made from the wooden pegs that would have been attached to the sides of the ships to tie ropes around.

Two more quick recommendations. If you fancy a bit of a change from the tube you can get here in the Thames Clipper. They leave from various points including outside the Tower of London.

Want to know more about how to book to go to the Old Royal Naval College? Have a look at their website here.

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