Old Royal Naval College - Greenwich, London, UK - Satellite Imagery Oddities on Waymarking.com

The ORNC website tells us about the Royal Hospital for Seaman that was the initial use of the buildings:

Built for charitable public purposes rather than to glorify personal status, the Royal Hospital for Seamen was established by Royal Charter in 1694 for the relief and support of seamen and their dependants.

Sir Christopher Wren planned the site and the first foundation stone was laid on 30th June 1696. During the first half of the eighteenth century various illustrious architects, such as Hawksmoor, Vanbrugh and James ‘Athenian’ Stuart completed the design.

In 1706 the first 42 Pensioners arrived. Numbers grew steadily as the buildings became usable, rising to 2,710 in 1814. Although they slept on beds instead of hammocks, their diet (based on bread, beer and boiled meat) would have reminded them of their days at sea. They took meals in the undercrofts below the Painted Hall and Chapel and were allowed to smoke their clay pipes or ‘chalks’ in the Chalk Walk, now the Skittle Alley.

As the nineteenth century wore on, with peace established, numbers of Pensioners declined and the Hospital finally closed in 1869.

The ORNC website tells us about the buildings in use as the ORNC:

Although the last Pensioners left the Royal Hospital for Seamen in 1869, Greenwich retained its links with the sea, sailors and ships. The transition from sail to steam meant that Naval officers required more sophisticated technical education than they could get as trainees on board ship.

A Royal Naval College was established in Portsmouth in 1841, but needed to expand. The empty buildings at Greenwich seemed a logical choice and in 1873, for a rent of just £100 a year, the Royal Navy became the new occupants of today's Old Royal Naval College (ORNC). The motto of the College was Tam Minerva Quam Marte - By Wisdom As Much As War. All aspects of naval science were taught, with courses added as new technologies developed.

In 1939 women were admitted for the first time. Eight thousand WRNS (Women’s Royal Naval Service) personnel underwent training during World War II. The Admiral President’s wing of the College was bombed in 1943 and one officer died. From 1939, the Painted Hall was again used for its originally intended purpose, as an everyday dining room, and there were also many grand dinners.

The advent of nuclear-powered submarines saw a small nuclear reactor installed for training purposes in the King William building in 1962, unknown to most Greenwich residents for many years. In 1998, the Royal Naval Staff College and Joint Service Defence College left Greenwich to be combined with the Army and the Royal Air Force equivalents in the Joint Service College at Shrivenham.

The same website tells us about the use of the buildings today:

Today the Old Royal Naval College (ORNC) is run by the Greenwich Foundation, a registered charity which cares for the buildings and grounds of the ORNC and provides access to over 1.7 million visitors and 9000 schoolchildren each year.

The three main attractions, the Discover Greenwich Visitor Centre, Painted Hall and Chapel are open daily with free admission.

Throughout the year the ORNC holds a range of events including the annual Trafalgar Night Dinner, family events, festivals, guided tours, temporary exhibitions, concerts and regular Chapel services.

In recent years the ORNC has become a popular filming location, forming the setting for films ranging from the multi-Oscar winning The King’s Speech to the latest James Bond movie, Skyfall and most recently Les Misérables.

The ORNC is part of the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site and is home to our site partners, the University of Greenwich, Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance and Greenwich Tourist Information Centre.

A Bing bird's eye view of the ORNC can be seen here.